The article below was submitted by Danny Luna, injury prevention coordinator, Family Safety Coalition at Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach.
This new year rings in new car-seat and seatbelt laws to promote safety for you and your family. Motor vehicle accidents are the number-one killer of kids. Thousands of children are injured or killed every year by improperly fastened safety seats. The proper use of booster seats can increase children’s chance of survival by 45 percent. Also, most collisions occur within only a mile of the home, so be sure all passengers are properly buckled up before hitting the gas pedal.
The new child-safety seat laws focus on increased height and age requirements to ensure that children are tall enough to safely wear a seatbelt, before graduating from their child-safety seat. Following the California car seat and seat belt laws for 2012 can protect your family, avoid fines and most importantly save lives.
Law requirements
• Children are required to ride in a child-passenger safety restraint (safety seat, booster, car bed or harness) until they are at least 8 years old or until they are at least 4 feet 9 inches. (Previously, a child was required to ride in a car seat until the age of 6, or until they reached 60 pounds).
• Children in a car seat or other restraints are required to ride in the back seat.
• The car seat must fit properly— technicians and “fitting stations” are available locally.
Fitting stations
• Certified technicians will inspect your child’s car seat and show you how to properly install and use it, in most cases free of charge.
• To find a car seat technician or fitting station near you, check with your local California Highway Patrol office or health department, or visit the National Highway Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) website.
Seatbelt law changes for 2012
Once children graduate from the child-passenger safety restraint, they are able to wear a seatbelt along with teens and adults. In addition to car-seat safety, proper seatbelt use is imperative for all drivers and passengers— children through elders— to help reduce the risk of highway deaths and injuries. Wearing a seatbelt can reduce the risk of crash injuries by 50 percent. Know how to properly wear your seatbelt so you and your passengers can travel safely, while abiding by the law.
Click It or Ticket (CIOT)
• CIOT is the seatbelt enforcement campaign that helped create the highest national seat belt usage rate of 85 percent.
• In California, all drivers with unrestrained passengers ages 16 and older are subject to fines starting at $142.
• All drivers with improperly buckled or unbuckled children under the age of 16 are subject to a minimum fine of $445.
Proper fit
• The lower lap portion of the belt crosses the hips or upper thighs.
• The upper shoulder portion of the belt (if present) crosses the chest in front.
• Do not detach the shoulder strap or place under arm.
Drivers
• Make sure there is an individual seatbelt for each passenger.
• Make sure all passengers are properly strapped in, including children in car seats.
• Be sure to wear a seatbelt after making sure all passengers are buckled up.
Knowing the 2012 car seat safety laws and wearing seat belts properly can reduce the risk of injury to your family this year
