A Short Guide To Children’s Car Seats In Florida
In Florida, the safety of a child is just as much of a responsibility to the government as it is to the parents. Although there has been a gradual decline in the number of infant fatalities in motor vehicle crashes, 2019’s statistics still suggest that 1 in every 4 unintentional death cases is the result of a car crash. Because of this, all 50 US states have strict child restraint laws to protect children while they are in motor vehicles. Here is our brief guide to child restraint laws in Florida, and specifically, children’s car seats.
What Are The Child Restraint Laws In Florida?
While studies have shown that seating children in rear car seats has greatly helped in reducing death rates in car crashes, this one step is simply not enough. Here are a few more child restraint laws that protect children.
- All front-seat passengers of a vehicle and children aged 18 and lower must wear their seat belts.
- All children aged 12 and lower are not allowed to be seated on the front seat of the vehicle while riding. They must be seated in the rear end of the vehicle and have their safety-harness/seat-belt on.
- Children aged 5 and lower need to be secured by a federally-approved car seat. The child seat must be integrated by the manufacturer, or a separate child-friendly and crash-tested carrier. 4-5-year-olds may be seated in booster seats.
Picking The Right Child Seat: A Few Things To Keep In Mind
A “child seat” is a specifically designed seat for children with an integrated safety harness. Child seats are tested and approved before being sold. You should always purchase the seat from a licensed dealer who can provide you with the correct and official documents and warranty license.
An ideal car seat is one that properly fits the dimensions of your car. You may need to try out different car seats to find the right fit – especially if you do not driver a larger SUV. Getting a convertible car seat that can be enlarged as your child grows would be the most economic and favorable choice.
Keep your child’s height and weight in mind while purchasing a car seat. There are different kinds of seats made for babies with different weight and height ratios to provide the child with optimal comfort and safety. Let your dealer know of these details as well so that they are able to pick the right seat options for you. The height and weight of the child is oftentimes more important then their age.
Has Your Child Been in a Car Crash in Florida?
Dealing with car crashes that involve minors can be a painful ordeal. Following a crash, children often struggle with physical trauma (painful neck and back) as well as mental trauma (i.e. scared to get back into a vehicle, nightmares). The mental stress on parents (for dealing with their children’s injuries) can be overwhelming. Hiring an attorney can help parents absorb some of this stress and anxiety. An attorney can also deal with the insurance companies so you can focus on tending to your child’s well-being
Injured child? Please seek a free, no risk consultation with the Plantation personal injury attorneys at Lyons & Snyder.
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