How to Choose the Safest Car Seat for Your Child

It is not only illegal to have your child in a car without the appropriate child safety seat it is extremely dangerous. Car seats are vital to your child’s safety when they are in a car. It isn’t just important to have your child in any car seat, to ensure they are truly protected, they need the right seat for their size. Additionally, child safety seats are such that depending on their age or if they have been in an accident, it may be necessary to have them replaced in order to keep them functioning properly.

Parents everywhere want to protect their child from all harm, that is natural. When on the road, a car seat that is positioned correctly, installed correctly, appropriate for your child’s size, and in good functional condition will improve your child’s security and well-being should you have the unfortunate experience of being involved in a car accident.

How to Find the Right Child Safety Seat for Your Child

The state of Arizona dictates that every single child who is under five years-of-age are required to be in a child safety seat when they are in a car. If you have a child that is smaller for their age, age won’t be the determinant of if they should continue to use one of these specialty seats. Any child under the age of eight that is shorter than four feet nine inches will still need to be restrained in a safety seat.

Arizona is a secondary seat belt law state. So while an officer cannot pull you over only to check on seat belt use of you and your passengers, if you are pulled over for something else the officer will check the status of the individuals in your car. Not only can you as a driver get fined for every passenger in your car not wearing a seatbelt if they are under the age of 16 but if there is a child under the age of five not properly secured, you will see a much more steep penalty. Those under the age of 16 would be subject to a $10 fine each while a child under the age of five would render a $50 fine.

When determining the right child safety seat for your child, first consider their age. New babies should be kept rear-facing and they should continue to stay in that position until they weigh more than 20 lbs. Once your child is older than one, they can turn around and sit forward-facing. Every car seat has information on weight limits, make sure to check the seat you are looking to see if your child qualifies to use it. If your child doesn’t meet the weight, don’t take any chances. 

When your child outgrows their beginning child safety seats, they can move up to a booster type seat. They can stay in this seat as long as they don’t exceed 80 lbs. And if they are under four feet nine inches in height.

Get Legal Help For Your Child Today After An Arizona Car Accident

The Arizona serious injury attorneys at ELG will fight on behalf of victims who were injured in accidents that were not their fault. The experienced bilingual Spanish-speaking team of Phoenix personal injury attorney at ELG will help you with your Arizona personal injury claim if you have been in a car accident and were injured. Call ELG today at (623) 877-3600 to set up your free consultation.