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Every day, an unrestrained child under the age of five is killed in a traffic crash in this country. Using the appropriate child safety seat is the most appropriate way to protect a child.

 Here is the Law 

Seatbelts
HB 537 requires all occupants of a vehicle, no matter their age, to be secured by a safety belt, no matter where they are seated in the vehicle.

SB 61 amends the existing statue regarding child passenger safety seats. The bill required that any child younger than 8 years of age be restrained in an approved child passenger safety seat unless the child is at least 4 feet, 9 inches in height.
 

Here is what you need to know to keep your child safe

• All children 12 and under are safest when secured in the back seat. NEVER put an infant in a rear-facing safety seat in front of an airbag.
• Selecting the right seat is vital to the safety of your child.
• Seat should be appropriate for the child’s height and weight.
• Not all safety seats can be in all vehicles and all seating positions (side facing jump seats found in the extended cabs of pickup trucks are not appropriate for a child safety seat under any circumstances)
• If a safety seat is more that 5 years old or has been involved in a crash, it should be replaced.

Common Mistakes

• The most common mistake when installing a safety seat is the failure to get a tight fit.
• The safety seat harness that secures the child to the seat should also fit snugly.
• The vehicle’s safety belt system must be made to lock in order to hold the safety seat firmly in place.
• Rear-facing safety seats should be made to incline at a 45-degree angle.

For information about child safety seats, or to have your safety seat checked, call the El Paso Police Department’s Safe Communities Program at 564-7352.