As a parent, I know that shuffling boosters and child seats can be a hassle so, before I get to the laws, let me underscore the simple point that crash data shows that children’s safety seats and boosters offer significantly better protection for your children than a regular seatbelt.
It’s annoying but there’s a reason for encouraging better seating for kids.
For instance, a harness-based child restraint reduced fatalities by over 50% for babies under one. Children restrained in rear-seats were 50-75% less likely to die than those seated in the front. (see Transporting Children Safely)
What about the laws here in Oregon?
Here’s the short of it, extracted from ODOT (the Oregon Department of Transportation).
- Children must be in child safety seats until 40 lbs.
- Infants must face the rear until age 2.
- Kids over 40 lbs must use a booster until age 8 or 4 ft 9 in.
- Safety experts recommend that children should sit in rear seat until age 12.
Okay, okay, but when I can I break the kid out of the booster?
ODOT says you should be able to answer “yes” to these questions.
- “Can the child sit all the way back against the seat of the vehicle with their knees bent comfortably over the edge of the vehicle’s seat?
- Do the child’s feet rest flat on the floor?
- Does the shoulder belt lay flat across the collarbone and across the child’s chest? The belt should never lay across the child’s neck.
- Does the lap belt lay low across the child’s the thighs? The belt should never lay across their stomach.
- Can the child stay comfortably seated like this for the whole trip?”
Take the extra 30 seconds to do it right.
Resources:
- Car Seat Flyer from Oregon Department of Transportation.
- Car Seat & Booster Seat Safety, Ratings, Guidelines | NHTSA.
- Research on Seat Belts: from IIHS.
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