Child Safety Restraint Laws

Ohio’s child safety restraint law

The child restraint law requires that any child who is 4 years of age and/or weighs less than 40 pounds use a child safety restraint that meets federal motor vehicle standards, unless the child is in a taxicab or other public vehicle, or there is an emergency situation. (See chart below for specifics.) Law enforcement officers can stop motorists as a primary offense for not having children buckled up.

Fines for violators of the child restraint law include the following:

• First offense—up to $100
• Second and subsequent offenses—up to $250 and 30 days in jail

The law, revised in June 1994, allots 65% of all fines to the Child Highway Safety Fund. This fund furnishes child restraint systems to eligible families and provides public education programs regarding the benefits of child restraints.

*Note: If you use a booster seat, make sure your child meets the weight and height requirements for the make and model of the seat you select. Booster seats, although manufactured for children weighing as little as 30 lbs., are not recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics until a child weighs 40 lbs. It is important that all the manufacturer’s instructions are followed when installing and using a child safety seat. For more information, call the Help Me Grow Up Safe information hotline at 1-800-755-GROW.

US rules and regulations

On September 1, 1999, the Department of Transportation issued rules that require compatibility between all cars and all child safety seats. According to the rules, auto makers are required to install metal bars behind new car rear seats to serve as an anchor for all child seats.

The anchorage system requirement was phased in over three years and must be in all new passenger vehicles and on all new child restraints manufactured on or after September 1, 2002.

LATCH system

The Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) system is designed to make installation of child safety seats easier by requiring seats to be installed without using the vehicle’s safety belt system. Since September 1999, all new forward facing child safety seats (not including booster seats) must meet stricter head protection requirements calling for a top tether strap. This adjustable strap is attached to the back of a child safety seat and has a hook for securing the seat to a tether anchor found either on the rear shelf area of the vehicle, or in the case of minivans and station wagons, on the rear floor or on the back of the rear seat of the vehicle. As of September 2000, all new cars, minivans and light trucks are required to have this tether anchor.

By September 1, 2002, two rear-seating positions of all cars, minivans and light trucks will come equipped with lower child safety seat anchorage points located between a vehicle’s seat cushion and seat back. Also, all child safety seats will have two attachments which will connect to the vehicles’ lower anchorage attachment points.

A diagram depicting the LATCH anchorage system is displayed below. Additional information and updates regarding child safety seat information can be obtained online at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Web site, www.nhtsa.gov.

The four steps of child passenger safety

The Ohio Department of Public Safety (ODPS) promotes the four steps of child passenger safety as:

Step 1—Rear-facing child seats for children from birth to at least 20 pounds and at least one year of age
Step 2—Forward-facing child seats for children over 20 pounds and at least one year old to about 40 pounds and about age four. Seat belts can seriously injure or kill small children who are not properly placed in child safety seats.
Step 3—Belt-positioning booster seats until they are at least eight years old, unless they are 4’ 9” tall.
Step 4—Seat belts for older children large enough for the belt to fit correctly: at least 4’ 9” tall and about 80 pounds.

New NHTSA position on booster seats

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has revised its position on booster seats. NHTSA’s recommendation states: All children who have outgrown child safety seats should be properly restrained in booster seats until they are at least eight years old, unless they are 4’ 9” tall. ODPS supports this recommendation.

Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

1,800 children between the ages of 5–14 are killed in crashes annually, making auto crashes the leading cause of death for the age group. The lack of proper restraints is the most significant risk factor for children riding in cars. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)