California laws on child restraint systems forward facing

Unfortunately, Safe Ride 4 Kids has found, often times when legislatures try to be вЂњless vagueвЂќ in their car seat laws, the laws actually end up not allowing for best practice.ДЇor instance, Pennsylvania law says children four years of age or older but under eight years of age must be restrained with a seat belt in a booster seat. States say the increased requirements replace a law that critics said was too vague. AAA is working to get other states to follow suit. New Jersey and Oklahoma made similar changes to their car seat laws last year. Tennessee lawmakers withdrew a similar bill seeking to raise the rear-facing requirement to age 2 during the stateвЂ™s 2016 legislative session. Tennessee: Change car seat laws withdrawn Unfortunately the Wisconsin bill failed to pass into law. The new law would have upped the rear-facing age requirement from 1 year old to 2 years old. Wisconsin lawmakers also pushed to pass into law an increase for the rear-facing car seat requirement. Wisconsin: Change car seat laws did NOT pass After that, each violation will carry a penalty of $75 in addition to costs and fees, increasing the total to $125 according to the state Department of Transportation website. Officers enforcing the law will give verbal warnings the first year. Now all children under age two, who havenвЂ™t outgrown manufacturersвЂ™ limits for their car seat, are required to be buckled into an approved rear-facing child safety seat in the back seat. Pennsylvania lawmakers increased safety protections for its youngest passengers. The new Pennsylvania law already went into effect this past summer.

Pennsylvania: Change car seat laws effective late summer 2016 An overwhelming number of parents still place their children in a forward-facing position too early. Garcia, who wrote the change, said, вЂњDespite studies and educational campaigns by doctors and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, not enough parents are changing their behavior.

If the child is less than two years of age, the child shall be properly restrained in a rear-facing child restraint system in a rear seat of the vehicle, unless the child is more than 40 pounds or 40 inches. California: Change car seat laws effective Jan 1. In an accident, young children facing forward have a 75% greater chance of injuring their spines or even breaking their necks, due to impact,вЂќ said California Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia.

вЂњAccording to medical professionals, the heads of young children are heavier, and their necks and spinal cords are not fully developed. Once they are turned forward facing their bodies are being restrained by the harness straps but their necks and heads are left unsupported experience the crash energy.Д«efore age 2, a childвЂ™s skeletal structure is simply not protective enough to handle the impact of a crash when they are facing forward in a car seat. This is because when rear facing childrenвЂ™s backs, necks and heads are all being supported by the seat during a crash. Studies have shown that children riding in a rear-facing car seat are 5 times safer.

California laws on child restraint systems forward facing