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Car Seat Restraint - ages 0 to 4 Required. No longer necessary after
4.
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Seat Belt Restraint - ages 0 to 4 Not Permissible. Required from 4
on up.
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Front Seat Allowance - 0 to 13 Not Recommended. 13 on up it is
permissible.
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Booster Seat Law - 0 to 4 Not Permissible. 4 to 8 Strongly
Suggested. 8 on up Not Necessary.
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Rear facing seats are not allowed in the front seat of any car
that has a passenger airbag. Unless, the vehicle is a truck
that has the safety switch to turn the air bag off.
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All children should be sitting in the back seat. If in an
infant car seat, then ideally they should be in the middle of
the back seat.
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Children that are between the ages of 4 and 8 or if they weigh
under 80 pounds should be in a booster seat.
Also, here is an explanation of what the
definitions mean in connection with the state laws.
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Required: this is a State requirement.
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Permissible: the State will not stop you, however this may not be the
best choice.
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Permissible/Required: you are allowed, but there are other
requirements that need to be met as well to be allowed.
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Optional: this is not required, but you should do it anyway.
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Not Permissible: the State has stated this is not allowed.
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Not Necessary: the state feels you do not need to.
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Not Recommended: the State does not say no, however the NHTSA
says you should not.
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Strongly Suggested: the State does not say you have, but the
NHTSA feels you should.
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RF: this is rear facing infant car seat or convertible car
seat.
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FF: this is a front facing child seat or convertible
seat.
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BP: this is a belt positioning seat and required an
adult to secure your child properly.
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Booster: this is a booster seat.
You will always want to check the weight
requirements and limits of any car seat you are using, whether it is an infant
seat, child seat, or booster seat. With any car seat there will also be
the recommended usage that the manufacturer intended when the product was
made. Always look through the instructions thoroughly when installing
your car seat and fastening your child.
There is also the
http://www.nhtsa.gov website and the
http://www.highwaysafety.org for
more information or if you are unsure where your child falls in reference to
age, height, and weight. If you are ever unsure, then take the safest
way possible. Using your own intuition and common sense will always be
your best bet. Then contact the agencies above with any additional
questions or concerns.
