CHILD PASSENGER SAFETY SEATS

The following was taken from SAFE KIDS CONNECTICUT.

Child Passenger Safety Laws in Connecticut
Effective October 1, 2005, Reviewed September 2011

PUBLIC ACT 05-58

LAW: Infants must remain rear-facing and in their car seat until they are a minimum of both 20 pounds and one year old.

Further recommended: Babies should be kept rear-facing until they are 2 years old or meet the maximum height or weight limit for their car seat when it is rear-facing.

LAW: Toddlers must be in a car seat.

Futher recommended: Children should remain in a car seat until they reach the weight or height limit of their car seat (usually 40 pounds or more). Additionally, don't use a car seat that has been in a crash or has expired.

LAW: Children must be in a car seat or booster seat until they reach 60 pounds and they reach 7 years old. Children who ride in a booster seat must use a lap and shoulder belt.

Further recommended: Children should continue to ride in a booster seat until the seat belt fits properly (fitting on their collar bone and hip bones, not on their neck and stomach).

THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS RECENTLY UPDATED THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS ON CHILDREN IN CAR SEATS (PUBLISHED IN THE APRIL 2011 ISSUE OF PEDIATRICS):

• "All infants and toddlers should ride in a rear-facing car safety seat (CSS) until they are 2 years of age or until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by the manufacturer of their CSS."
• "All children 2 years or older, or those younger then 2 who have outgrown their rear-facing weight or height limit for their CSS, should use a forward-facing CSS with a harness for as long as possible, up to the highest weight or height allowed by the manufacturer of their CSS."
• "All children whose weight and height is above the foward-facing limit for their CSS should use a belt-positioning-booster seat until the vehicle seat belt fits properly, typically when they have reached 4 feet 9 inches in height and are between 8 and 12 years of age."
• "When children are old enough and large enough to use the vehicle seat belt alone, they should always use lap-and-shoulder belts for optimal protection."
• "All children younger then 13 years of age should be restrained in the rear seats of vehicles for optimal protection."

LAW: Children, tweens, and teens must be in a seat belt wherever they ride in the vehicle.

Further recommended: Children should ride in the back seat until they are 13 years old. All people and objects should be properly restrained wherever they are in the vehicle.

Violators of the Connecticut car seat law must pay a fine and attend a two hour educational car seat class at the Department of Motor Vehicles.

CAR SEAT SAFETY CLINICS

Car seat safety clinics are offered periodically throughout Connecticut. Certified child passenger safety seat technicians will check for proper installation and usage, and can advise participants of recalls on a particular car seat. Call the State Department of Transportation for the dates, times, and locations of car seat safety clinics.

TO FIND PROVIDERS IN CONNECTICUT'S COMMUNITY RESOURCES DATABASE:
Search by service names:
Child Passenger Safety Seats
Child Passenger Safety Seat Inspections

--------------

SOURCE: Connecticut Safe Kids
PREPARED BY: 211/lb
CONTENT LAST REVIEWED: May2013