Our children are our most precious cargo when driving. Here are some important car seat safety laws to keep in mind when traveling with a child in your vehicle.
- Children under 2 years of age shall ride in a rear-facing car seat until they weigh 40 pounds or are at least 40 inches tall. This is because children cannot support their heads in accidents. Science and statistics show us that injuries are drastically reduced when children are in rear facing car seats until they are 24 months of age.
- Children can move to a forward-facing car seat once they have outgrown the legal limits and manufacturer’s specifications for the rear facing car seat.
- Children under the age of 8 or under 4’9″ tall must be secured in an appropriate car seat or booster seat in the back seat. Once children reach 8 years of age or have reached 4’9” in height, they may graduate from the booster seat to a safety belt; however, children are safest in a booster seat until they are 4’9″ tall.
- All passengers of all ages are subject to California’s Mandatory Seat Belt law.
Visit OCSD’s StaySafeOC page for more information.