Child Safety Car Seat Laws in Texas

Child Safety Car Seat Laws in Texas

As Dallas auto accident injury lawyers, we know that children are particularly at risk from suffering serious injuries as passengers in multi-vehicle wrecks. Texas law stipulates that all children aged younger than eight years old must be seated in a secure child safety seat unless they are taller than four feet, nine inches (57 inches).

Infants should always ride in a securely fastened rear-facing car seat until they outgrow the maximum size and weight limits of the rear-facing infant seat. While it might be tempting to move them into a forward-facing seat so that you can see them in the mirror while driving, the American Academy of Pediatrics strongly urges parents to keep their kids in rear-facing seats for as long as possible, preferably until two years of age. Babies face a tremendous risk of suffering spinal cord injuries when they are in forward-facing car seats. This risk can be dramatically reduced by the use of a rear-facing car seat as the impact from a crash would more evenly be distributed across the infant's back, head and neck, lessening the chance of a severe injury occurring.

When your child does eventually outgrow their infant car seat, you should transition them into a forward-facing child seat which has a harness. Make sure that the harness straps are fitted snugly around your child's shoulders. A slack strap will not provide the protection they need in the event of a collision. It might appear to you that the straps are too tight, but to your child it just feels secure.

Typically, children will remain comfortable in their forward-facing toddler seat until about the age of four, although this differs for every child. When they outgrow this seat, the next transition is into a booster seat until they meet the specifications mandated by Texas law. Discarding the booster seat before then puts them at risk because their small body will not fit properly within an adult safety belt, meaning they could suffer severe bodily injuries if the car crashed. The upper part of the belt should lie comfortably across their shoulder and chest, and the lap belt should sit snugly across their upper thighs.

Even after your child has outgrown the booster seat and can safely use a full-size adult seat in your car, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) still recommends that your child always rides in the back seat of your vehicle as it is far safer than the front seat. Since front impact car crashes are statistically much more common, the rear seats are considerably safer.
When installing your child's car seat, you should take care to ensure that you install it as tightly as possible, per the manufacturer's instruction manual. Remember to always use the lower anchors and tethers. The tighter the better. If you want a professional to check out your handiwork, it's worth knowing that many local police and fire stations have personnel who are professionally trained in installing child car seats, as do some major car dealerships. Most places will inspect and correct your car seat if you ask.
For further information, contact the Dallas personal injury lawyers at Guajardo & Marks, LLP. at 972.774.9800.