One can only hope all driving adults are complying with the new law on child-safety measures in vehicles.
Children riding in cars are indeed “precious cargo.”
The tragic, alarming statistics tell an awful story. According to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, vehicle crashes are a leading cause of injury and death among children. Between 2019 to 2023, of the 12,827 children involved in crashes who were properly restrained, 89 percent were not injured. Of the 81 children who were seriously injured in motor vehicles, only 44 percent were known to be properly secured.
The essence of the law is this: Every driver who has children under age 18 in a vehicle must have them in a child safety seat or restrained by a seat belt. The law also specifies ages for rear-and forward-facing car seats, booster seats and seat belts, and raises the age requirement for booster seats from 8 to 9 years old.
Previously, before the new law that went into effect Aug. 1, the state required car seats to be used according to the manufacturer’s instructions on height and weight.
Here are the basic categories and updates to remember and to comply with:
A child who is both under age 8 and shorter than 4 feet 9 inches is required to be fastened in a child safety seat that meets federal safety standards. Under this law, a child cannot use a seat belt alone until they are age 8, or 4 feet 9 inches tall.
Birth-2 years old: Rear-facing car seat in an infant or convertible child safety seat.
A child who is at least 2 years old and has outgrown by height or weight the rear-facing seat with internal harness: Put child in forward-facing car set with internal harness.
A 4-year-old child who has outgrown by height or weight the forward-facing seat with internal harness: The child should ride restrained in a belt-positioning booster seat using the lap belt and shoulder belt.
A child 9 years old who has outgrown the booster seat and the child can show knowledge of how the seat belt fits correctly; That child should ride with a lap belt and shoulder belt secured correctly on the vehicle seat.
Children under 13 should sit in the back seat if possible.
There are some exceptions for children who fall into one or more categories, and they must be placed in the safer restraint for them. For example, if a child is two-and-a-half years old and weighs 35 pounds, but has a car seat with a rear-facing limit of 40 pounds, they must stay rear-facing even though they are over the age of 2.
All parents, adult babysitters and caretakers should review and discuss those all-important rules with others and then help one another to learn exactly the right safety seats and harnesses for maximum protection of “precious cargo.”
To learn more details and “how-to” advice, visit the following website of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety: dps.mn.gov/divisions/ots/child-passenger-safety.