Revised car seat law begins Jan. 1, 2020
Children under the age of 2 must ride in a rear-facing car seat.
Children ages 2-4 must ride in a car seat rear or forward facing with a harness.
Children 4 and older must ride in a car or booster seat until they are 4 foot 9 inches tall.
Children under 13 must ride in the back seat.
South County Fire promotes car seat use according to the American Academy of Pediatrics best practice guidelines.
- Keep infants and toddlers in rear-facing seats until they are at least 2 years of age or reach the maximum weight and height limits allowed by the car seat manufacturer.
- When children outgrow their rear-facing seats, they should ride in forward-facing child safety seats until they reach the upper weight or height limit allowed by the car seat manufacturer.
- Once children outgrow their forward-facing seat, they should ride in booster seats until the vehicle seat belt fits properly, usually between age 8-12 years old.
- When children outgrow their booster seats, they can use the adult seat belt in the back seat, if it fits properly.
- Children under age 13 must ride in the back seat.
Always read your child car seat owner’s manual and your vehicle owner’s manual for installation instructions. Also check out safercar.gov for information and resources.