CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - The Citrus Heights Police Department is joining other law enforcement agencies, public health departments, and other community organizations to raise awareness about the importance of keeping children in the correct car seat for their age and size.

During Child Passenger Safety Week, the Citrus Heights Police Department encourages all parents and caregivers to make sure their children are riding safely by using the correct car seats, booster seats, and properly fitted seat belts. This annual campaign takes place from September 15 to 21.

“Every child deserves to travel safely,” Citrus Heights Police Department Sergeant Kane Kissam said. “During Child Passenger Safety Week, we urge all parents and caregivers to take a few minutes to double-check their child’s car seat. Keeping a child in the right seat for their age and size can make all the difference in a crash.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), nearly half of car seats (46 percent) are misused. Properly installed car seats have been shown to reduce fatal injury crashes by 71 percent for infants under a year old and 54 percent for toddlers ages 1 through 4.

California law requires all children under two years old to ride in a rear-facing car seat unless the child is 40 or more pounds or is 40 or more inches tall. Once a child reaches these milestones, all children under the age of 8 years are still required to be secured in a car seat or booster seat. Children under the age of 8 may not ride in the front seat unless the vehicle is not equipped with a rear, forward-facing seat. Children 8 and older, or who are at least 4 feet 9 inches tall, may be secured by a booster seat but, at a minimum, must be wearing a properly fitted safety belt.

Parents and caregivers are encouraged to keep children in the proper rear or forward-facing seat as long as possible and use the “Five-Step Test” to determine if their child is big enough to safely use a seat belt without a booster seat.

To schedule a free child safety seat inspection, contact your local CHP Area Office. 

Funding for this program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.