Seat belt and passenger safety tips for your younger passengers.

The last article on seat belt and passenger safety focused on general tips. In this installment, we’ll focus on tips for younger passengers, using the guidelines of the National Safety Council and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

1. In addition to riding in the back seat, children who stand less than four feet, nine inches are also safest in a booster seat.
2. Infants under the age of one, who weigh approximately 20 pounds or less should be in a rear facing safety seat.
3. Once the child is over 40 pounds, they may no longer need a safety seat, but they should still be in a booster seat as well as safety belts until they are over about 80 pounds.
4. A shoulder belt should never go across a child’s back or under their arms.

There are two main reasons children should sit in the rear of a car. The first reasons is that the back seat is typically the safest location in the car in the event of a traffic mishap. The second reason is that air bags deploy so quickly and with such force as to be a safety concern to children sitting in the front of a car.

If you have more questions about passenger safety, particularly for children, you can call the Department of Transportation Auto Safety Hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT.

See Also

• Auto Road Service
  Full featured auto road service and emergency roadside assistance.