Is your child's car seat installed correctly? Appointments available at Main, North and South Campus locations. South Campus also welcomes walk-in appointments during Safety Store hours. Contact Us for Appointment Motor vehicle crashes kill more kids than any other cause of death - and 4 out of 5 car seats are used incorrectly. Make sure you are following the current Colorado car seat law and the safest practices for your child. The best practice may differ from the law. Read our tips below to make sure your child is properly secured. Children ages 4-8 (through their 8th birthday) must use either a car seat or a booster seat. All children under 8 years old Colorado Car and Booster Seat Law: Children under 8 years old must be properly restrained in a child restraint system. Colorado Car Seat Law: Infants must ride in a rear-facing car seat until they are 1 year old AND weigh at least 20 lbs in the rear seat of the vehicle. Safest Practice: The American Academy of Pediatrics advises parents and caregivers to keep their children rear-facing until age 2, or until they reach the maximum height and weight for their seat.
Many car seats can be used rear-facing until your child weights 35-40 pounds. Rear-facing seats offer the best protection during a crash because the whole body (head, neck and torso) is cradled by the back of the safety seat in a frontal crash. They also protect your baby better in other types of crashes, particularly side impact crashes. Colorado Car Seat Law: Children who are older than age 1 and weigh more than 20 pounds must be properly restrained in a rear-facing or forward-facing car seat. Safest Practice: Restrain your 1- to 4-year-old in a rear or forward-facing seat with a five-point harness system, which features two shoulder straps, two hip straps and a crotch strap, until they are at least 40 pounds. There are car seats available with much higher weight limits. A five-point harness system has more places to distribute crash forces and offers better protection than a lap and shoulder belt. Keep your children in the back seat. Always use the upper-tether strap (the long pieces of seat belt material with a clip on the end located on the top back of a convertible car seat) according to the vehicle owner's manual and child restraint manufacturer's instructions.
Colorado Booster Seat Law: Children between the ages of 4 and 8 years old (through their 8th birthday) must continue to ride in a child restraint. This can be a five-point harness child safety seat for younger children or a booster that uses the vehicle's lap and shoulder belt as kids get older and bigger. Safest Practice: Children should be in a booster in the back seat until they are 57" tall and at least 8 years old. Studies have shown the use of booster seats can reduce the risk of injury by 59% compared to seat belts alone. Keep your child in a booster until: Learn more about booster seat safety and usage guidelines. Colorado Law: Children between the ages of 8 and 16 (through their 16th birthday) must use a seatbelt or child restraint. Safest Practice: Follow the guidelines above to know when your child can safely stop using the booster. Keep your child in the back seat as long as possible, until at least age 13 and 100 pounds. If your teenager is in the front seat, put the seat as far back as possible in case the airbag deploys in an accident.
Remember that children learn by watching their parents, and this includes good driving habits. Read Colorado's child restraint law. Make sure your car seat or booster is installed correctly to best protect your child. Several Safe Kids Denver Metro coalition affiliates provide free car seat education and inspection throughout the Denver metro area where a certified technician can help with with hands-on instruction and installation. Find a car seat inspection station near you. The Safety Store at Children’s Hospital Colorado South Campus offers a variety of car seats and strollers for sale. All proceeds benefit our hospital’s injury prevention outreach and education programs. See the flyer for additional details. Commissioned Online Prescription System Tribute to Fallen Employees Child Passenger Safety Information Frequently Asked Questions About Child Passenger Safety and Safety Belt Use The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued recommendations in their April 2011 publication, Pediatrics, addressing best practice when transporting children.
This is not a change in Texas statute, however, parents and caregivers are strongly encouraged to follow the new AAP Guidelines (PDF) when transporting children. Child Vehicular Heatstroke Deaths: In 2010, there were 49 children in the U.S. killed by vehicular heatstroke. Unfortunately, Texas led the nation with 13 of those deaths. The numbers dropped in 2011 and 2012, but as of September 2013, there have been 40 children die due to vehicular heatstroke. For more information on how these deaths can be prevented, visit one of the following sites: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration San Francisco State University Department of Geosciences 2016 Child Passenger Safety National Best Practice Recommendations Infants: Birth – 35+ pounds and 2+ years old. Rear-facing infant or rear-facing convertible safety seat as long as possible, up to the rear-facing height or weight limit of the seat. Properly install according to instructions in owner's manual, rear-facing in the back seat.
When children outgrow the rear-facing safety seat (minimum 2+ years), they should ride in a forward-facing safety seat as long as possible, up to the upper height or weight limit (40 – 80+ pounds) of the harnesses. Usually 4+ years old. Properly installed forward-facing in the back seat. NEVER turn forward-facing before child meets all: AGE/HEIGHT/WEIGHT requirements set by safety seat manufacturer for forward-facing. After age 4 and 40+ pounds and behavior maturity*, children can ride in a booster seat with the adult lap and shoulder belt until the adult safety belt will fit them properly (usually when the child is 10 – 12 years old). MUST have a lap/shoulder belt to use a booster seat. *Behavior maturity required according to booster seat owner's manual Once children outgrow their booster seat (usually at 10 – 12 years old) they can use the adult lap/shoulder safety belt if it fits them properly. Lap portion low over the hips/tops of thighs and shoulder belt crosses the center of the shoulder and center of the chest.