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Idaho Transportation
Department
Public Affairs Office
P.O. Box 7129
Boise, ID 83707
208.334.8005
Fax: 208.334.8563
Email


ITD offers child safety seat tips

Nationwide, at least 80 percent of children ages 4 to 7 are not properly secured in safety seats when traveling in a motor vehicle, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

“The type of passenger seats required for safety changes as children grow," said Margaret Goertz with the ITD’s Office of Highway Operations and Safety. “It is important to make sure children are properly secured in safety seats designed for their age in order to avoid the unnecessary risk of being injured or killed in car crashes,” she added.

Idaho law requires that all children younger than 7 be properly secured in an appropriate child safety restraint in a vehicle. Violations of the state’s child safety seat laws carry a $60 fine.

NHTSA recommends following the “4 Steps for Kids” for child passenger seat protection:

  1. Infants younger than 1 year must be in a rear-facing infant seat and always secured in the back seat of the vehicle.
  2. Children ages 1 to 4 (typically 20-40 pounds) are to be in a forward-facing child seat, always secured in the back seat. The seat must have harness straps positioned on the child’s shoulders, complete with a harness chest clip positioned at the armpit level, and in the upright position (not reclined).
  3. Children ages 4 to 6 must be in an approved booster seat, always secured in the back seat, using both lap and shoulder belts. The lap belt should be positioned across the top of the child’s thigh and the shoulder belt should cross the shoulder and chest.
  4. Children who outgrow their booster seats and are more than 4 feet 9 inches tall can use an adult seat belt while sitting in the back seat of the vehicle.

“Make sure the child seat is attached correctly and tightly to the vehicle, the harness is tightly fastened, and the chest clip is being used correctly,” Goertz said.

For more information regarding child passenger safety, contact Goertz at (208) 334-8104. Recommendations also are available on ITD's Web site: itd.idaho.gov, click on Highways, then Office of Highway Safety homepage.

Published 2-16-07