Alaska Child Passenger Safety Coalition
Alaska Safety Belt and
Child Passenger Safety Laws
 
[ INFANTS ] [ TODDLERS ] [ BOOSTER ] [ OLDER CHILD ] [ TIPS ] [ RECALLS ]
 
 
When choosing a safety seat for your child, keep in mind the following important points:

  1. The seat must meet federal standards.
  2. The seat must fit properly in your car. Read your vehicle owner's manual for information about using a child restraint in your vehicle.
  3. The seat must be appropriate for the child's weight and height. To determine whether it is, read the safety-seat manufacturer's instructions. Place the safety belt exactly where the instructions recommend it be placed.
  4. You can't be sure about the history of a used seat. Best practice is to purchase a new seat.
INFANTS [ Back to Top ]
(Five to 20/22 pounds)
 
 
Use safety seats designed for children under 20/22 pounds.
 
  • Infants should ride rear-facing to at least 20 pounds and at least one year of age.
  • Infants should ride reclined, up to a 45-degree angle.
  • Thread the harness straps through the lowest pair of slots in the back of the seat. This will help keep the baby restrained in the seat, providing additional protection in a crash.
  • Buckle the harness system between the infant's legs.
  • Tighten the harness so that the child is snugly secured in the seat.
  • Secure the safety belt to the safety seat. The safety seat should not move more than 1 inch toward the front of the vehicle or side-to-side.
Air bag warning:
 
  • Never place a child in a rear-facing safety seat in front of an air bag.
  • All children ages 12 and under are safest riding secured in the back seat.
 
TODDLERS [ Back to Top ]
(20/22 to 40 pounds)
 
 
  • Children weighing between 20 and 40 pounds and over one year of age may ride forward-facing in a convertible safety seat or harness system. If a child does not meet both the minimum weight and age, then he/she should continue to ride rear-facing in an appropriate safety seat.
  • Thread the harness straps through the top pair of slots in the back of the safety seat.
  • Buckle the harness system between the child's legs.
  • Tighten the harness so that the child is snugly secured in the seat.
  • Secure the safety belt to the safety seat. The safety seat should not move more than 1 inch toward the front of the vehicle or side-to-side.
Safety advocates recommend using a safety seat equipped with a five-point harness system.
 
Air bag warning:
 
  • Never place a child in a rear-facing safety seat in front of an air bag.
  • All children ages 12 and under are safest riding secured in the back seat.
 
BOOSTER [ Back to Top ]
(40 to 80 pounds)
 
 
Children weighing between 40 and up to 80 pounds should be restrained by a belt-positioning booster seat.
Belt-positioning booster seats, which are used in conjunction with the vehicle's lap-and-shoulder safety-belt system, provide good upper-body protection for children weighing more than 40 pounds.

A booster seat keeps the vehicle safety belt positioned correctly over the strongest bones -- the shoulders and hips. Without a booster seat, the vehicle safety belt system will likely not adequately fit a child within this weight range.

Air bag warning:
 
  • Never place a child in a rear-facing safety seat in front of an air bag.
  • All children ages 12 and under are safest riding secured in the back seat.
  • http://www.johnwalsh.tv
 
OLDER CHILDREN [ Back to Top ]
(Over 80 pounds)
 
 
When children have outgrown safety seats (around 80 pounds and about 4'9" tall), they graduate to safety belts.
  • Lap belt should fit low across hips, NEVER across the face, neck or stomach.
  • Shoulder belt should fit snug across shoulder, not neck.
  • Generally, seat belts do not fit a child correctly until at least 60 pounds.
  • Children should ride in a car seat or booster seat until a seat belt fits the child correctly.
Air bag warning:
 
  • Never place a child in a rear-facing safety seat in front of an air bag.
  • All children ages 12 and under are safest riding secured in the back seat.
 
TIPS FOR TRAVELING WITH YOUNG CHILDREN [ Back to Top ]
 
  • Never misuse safety seats. Follow the safety-seat manufacturer's directions and the vehicle instructions for buckling the seat into your car or truck.
  • Begin using a safety seat immediately. Protect your newborn in a safety seat on the way home from the hospital and on every ride.
  • Small children (not infants) can be included in the process of selecting a safety seat. Children are happier and more inclined to use a safety seat if they feel comfortable in the seat.
  • Remind the child that the vehicle will not move until everyone is buckled up.
  • Children are imitators. Set a positive example for your child by buckling up yourself on every trip.
  • Don't keep books, bottles or other sharp, hard objects in your car or truck. In a collision such objects can become airborne, possibly striking and injuring you or your child. Provide a special soft toy for children to play with when riding in a motor vehicle.
  • Don't let children eat while riding in a car or truck. A sudden stop could cause a child to choke.
  • Lock your doors. Teach children not to play with door handles or locks.
Air bag warning:
 
  • Never place a child in a rear-facing safety seat in front of an air bag.
  • All children ages 12 and under are safest riding secured in the back seat.
Please read your vehicle instructions to make sure that your safety belt will work with your safety seat. In order for a safety belt to work it must remain tight when securing a safety seat.
 
SAFETY RECALLS [ Back to Top ]