Every year, hundreds of kids are hurt or killed because they did not put on a seatbelt or they were buckled incorrectly. Protect yourself, your family and your friends by following these safety tips:

Infants (Under 20 pounds / less than one year old)

• Use a rear-facing child seat.
• The child seat must be in the back seat of vehicle.
• Never place car seats in the front seat of a car with air bags. In a crash, the air bag can injure or kill a baby.
• Never hold a baby on a lap in the car. The baby will not be protected in a crash.

Kids (Under 40 pounds / at least one year old)

• Ride in a carseat facing the front of the vehicle.
• Make sure that the seat is properly fastened to the car, holding it tightly in place.

Older Kids

• Children should remain in a safety seat with a full harness for as long as possible, but at least until the child is over 40 pounds.
• They should ride in a booster seat until the car's lap and shoulder belts fit correctly.
• The child should be tall enough to sit without slouching, with knees bent at the edge of the seat with feet on the floor.
• The lap belt should fit low and tight against the upper thighs.
• The shoulder belt should rest over the shoulder and across the chest.
• Never put the shoulder belt under the arm or behind a child's back.
• The adult lap and shoulder belt system alone will not fit most children until they are at least 4'9" tall and weigh 80 pounds.

All kids are safest:
The safest place for any child under the age of 12 is the back seat of a vehicle.

Last Updated: 12/16/2009