buckle up

The National Highway Tra c Safety Administration reports that proper use of car seats reduces child fatalities by more than 50 percent. Is your child safe?

The following laws are provided by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Failure to comply with these laws will result in a minimum $60 fine and three points against your driver’s license. Children 5 or younger must be secured in a federally approved child restraint system. Here’s how it breaks down.

› Children 3 and younger must use a separate car seat or the vehicle’s built-in child seat.

› Children 4 through 5 years must sit in either a separate car seat, an integrated child seat or a booster seat using a seat belt. Which seat you use will depend on your child’s height and weight.

› Children 6 through 17 must be in a properly fitting seatbelt.

› The DHSMV recommends children 12 and under ride in the back seat of the vehicle when possible.

what does the AAP say?

The American Academy of Pediatrics takes safety one step further by recommending all infants and children through 2 years of age sit in a properly installed rearfacing infant or convertible infant seat.

The AAP recommends toddlers and pre-school age kids who have outgrown their rear-facing

Installation Education

When installing a car seat: seat use a forward-facing seat with a five-point harness for as long as possible, up to the highest weight and height allowed by the manufacturer.

1. READ THE INSTRUCTIONS. Make sure you understand how to securely install the car seat in your car. You may need to reference your vehicle’s manual as well. Use the LATCH system if it’s available.

2. CAR SEATS ARE FOR THE BACK SEAT. This is the safest place for your child to ride.

3. LOCK THE SEAT BELT. Refer to your owner’s manual once more to find out how to lock a seat belt once the seat is in place. The seat should not move more than one inch in any direction.

4. CHEST CLIPS ARE FOR THE CHEST—NOT BELLY. Chest clips on a five-point harness should be positioned anywhere in the mid to upper chest area, not over your child’s abdomen. Most car seat instruction manuals tell you to aim for the armpit.

School-aged children who no longer meet the height/weight requirements for a harness seat should use a belt-positioning booster seat until the car’s seatbelt fits properly across the child’s chest—not their neck. This typically occurs when a child reaches 4 feet 9 inches tall. The AAP recommends all children under the age of 13 should sit in the backseat.

Once your child is heavy and tall enough for the car’s seatbelt to fit securely and properly across their chest, they can graduate out of their booster seat.

Find Out More

For more information on child safety seats and restraints, contact the Ocala Police Department or the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office to make an appointment for a complimentary child car seat inspection.

Ocala Police Department 402 S Pine Ave US Hwy 441, Ocala (352) 369-7000

Citrus County Sheriff 1 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, Inverness (352) 726-1121