Did You Know?• Allchildrenunder13shouldrideinthebackseat.Generally,children
13yearsandoldercansafelyridebuckledupinthefrontseat.
• Expectantmothersshouldwearthelapbeltacrossthehipsandbelowthebellywiththeshoulderbeltacrossthechest(betweenthebreasts).
• Florida’sPrimarySafetyBeltLawpassedonJune30,2009.Thismeansofficersmaystopmotorvehiclesforfrontseatoccupantsoroccupantsunder18failingtowearsafetybelts.Ticketswillbeissued.TheChildRestraintLawhasalwaysbeenaprimarylaw.Anydrivercanbestoppedfornothavingachildunderagefourinachildseat.
• Manypeopletendtomovetheirchildtothenextstepofrestraintsoonerthanneeded.Remembertokeepyourchildintherightsizechildsafetyseatorboosterseatuntilthesafetybeltfitscorrectly.
Step 1 Rear-Facing Seats:
Forthebestpossibleprotection,placeinfantsinthebackseatofyourvehicleinrear-facingchildsafetyseats.Rear-facingseatsarethesafestwaytotransportaninfantandshouldbeuseduntilthechildnolongermeetstheheightorweightlimitoftheparticularseat.
Step 2 Forward-Facing Seats:
Whenchildrenoutgrowtheirrear-facingseats,(atleastage1andatleast20pounds)theyshouldrideinforward-facingchildsafetyseatsinstalledinthebackseatofthecar.Theyshouldcontinueridingintheforward-facingseatuntiltheyreachtheupperweightorheightlimitoftheparticularseat(usuallyaroundage4and40pounds).
Step 3 Booster Seats:
Oncechildrenoutgrowtheirforward-facingseats,(usuallyaroundage4and40pounds)theyshouldrideinboosterseatsinthebackseatofthecar.Theyshouldcontinueridinginboosterseatsuntilthevehiclesafetybeltsfitproperly.Safetybeltsfitproperlywhenthelapbeltliesacrosstheupperthighsandtheshoulderbeltfitsacrossthechest(usuallyatage8orwhenthechildrenare4899tall).
Step 4 Safety Belts:
Whenchildrenoutgrowtheirboosterseats,(usuallyatage8orwhentheyare4899tall)theycanusetheadultsafetybeltsinthebackseat,iftheyfitproperly(lapbeltliesacrosstheupperthighsandtheshoulderbeltfitsacrossthechest).Children13andoldercanridebuckledupinthefrontseat.
Accordingto
researchbythe
NationalHighway
TrafficSafety
Administration,
threeoutoffour
childsafetyseatsare
improperlyinstalled.
Failuretoreadthe
childsafetyseatinstructions,inadditionto
vehicleownermanualinstructionsregarding
installation,couldresultinseriousinjuryor
deathasaresultofanimproperlyinstalled
childsafetyseat.
The Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH)systemmakeschildsafety
seatinstallationeasier—withoutusing
safetybelts—andisrequiredonchildsafety
seatsandmostvehiclesmanufacturedafter
September1,2002.(LATCHisnotrequired
forboosterseats,carbedsandvests.)
AttachmentsonaLATCH-equippedchild
safetyseatfastentoloweranchorsanda
tetheranchorinaLATCH-equippedvehicle.
Thetoptetherstrapislocatedatthetoprear
ofconvertiblechildsafetyseats,forward-
facingtoddlerseats,andcombinationseats.
Mostrear-facinginfantseatsdonothave
atoptetherstraporhookastheydonot
generallyusethisequipmentforinstallation.
Theloweranchorstrapsareattachedto
therearofthechildsafetyseat.MostU.S.
childsafetyseatscomewithflexiblelower
attachments.Afewmodelsofchildsafety
seatshaverigidlowerattachments.Most
LATCH-equippedvehicleshavelower
anchorsintherightandleftrearseat
positions.Ifthecenterseatdoesn’thave
loweranchors,youcaninstallyourchild
safetyseatsecurelyusingasafetybelt.
Besuretocarefullyreadyourvehicle
owner’smanualtofindoutwheretheLATCH
indicatorsandhooksarelocatedinyour
particularvehicleandtoavoidconfusing
themwithothervehiclehardwaresuchas
luggagetie-downs.Childsafetyseatsthatare
notLATCH-equippedorareolderthanfive
yearsshouldnotbeused.
It is important for parents to remember that they need to be good role models. If they always wear their safety belts, they will help their children form lifelong habits of buckling up.
Child Safety Seat Installation
Child Safety
Seats and Safety Belts
Formaximumchildpassengersafety,parentsandcaregiversshouldrefertothefollowingguidelines
fordeterminingwhichrestraintsystemisbestsuitedtoprotectchildrenbasedontheiragesandsizes.
Childrenofallages,frominfantstogradeschoolers,tendtomovetothenextstepofrestraintsoonerthan
theyneedto.Someinfantsaremovedoutoftheirrear-facingrestraintstoosoon,andsometoddlers
aremovedoutoffront-facingchildseatsbeforethey’rebigenoughforboosters.The
guidelinesarelistedbelow:
There’s More…Formoreinformationonchildsafetyseatsandsafetybelts,pleasevisitwww.flhsmv.gov/fhp/cpsandwww.nhtsa.dot.gov.
ThisbrochurewasprovidedbytheFloridaDepartmentofHighwaySafetyandMotorVehiclesandfundedbytheFloridaDepartmentofTransportation.
TheDepartmentofHighwaySafetyandMotorVehiclesandtheFloridaDepartmentofTransportationareworkingtoensureeveryoneisproperlysecuredandsafeeverytrip,everytime.Simplyput,no trip is too short to not buckle up!
Inthisbrochureyouwillfindlife-saving
information.Pleasereadcarefullyand
rememberthereisnoneedtosacrificesafety
whenwecanallbecomebetterinformedonhowtoproperly
protectourlovedonesandourselveswhenbehindthewheelofacar.
Low-Back Booster Seat High-Back Booster Seat
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DHSMV-Broch.indd 1 9/15/09 3:41 PM
