Child Passenger Safety

This information comes from Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
Their web link is: https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/ots/child-passenger-safety/Pages/default.aspx
You'll find PDFs links to making sure your child is in the right restraint, how to properly secure your child and visual instuctions, and so much more. Related links - www.NHTSA.gov

Keeping Kids Safe in VehiclesIn Minnesota, three out of four child seats are used incorrectly, and many parents aren’t aware of the restraint steps a child should progress through as they age and grow. A vehicle is the most dangerous place for children— and crashes are the leading killer of children under age 14.

Most Common Child Passenger Safety Mistakes
•Turning a child from a rear-facing restraint to a forward-facing restraint too soon. American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) now recommends keeping children rear-facing until 2 years old if possible.
•Restraint is not secured tight enough — it should not shift more than one inch side-to-side or out from the seat.
•Harness on the child is not tight enough — if you can pinch harness material, it’s too loose.
•Retainer clip is up too high or too low — should be at the child’s armpit level.
•The child is in the wrong restraint — don’t rush your child into a seat belt.

Give Kids a Boost! Booster Seats Are the Law in Minnesota
Learn about Minnesota's child passenger safety law, which requires a child who is both under age 8 and shorter than 4 feet 9 inches to be fastened in a child safety seat or booster.

Laws to Keep Kids Safe

Child Passenger Restraint Law
•All children age 7 and under must ride in a federally approved car seat or booster seat, unless the child is 4'9" or taller.
•Safety seats must be installed and used according to the manufacturer's instructions.
•Infants (under 20 pounds and one year of age) must be in a rear-facing safety seat.
•Law applies to all motor vehicles originally equipped with factory-installed seat belts.
•Law applies to all seating positions.
•Driver is responsible.
•Petty misdemeanor fine for violation is $50 (may be waived if violator shows proof of obtaining a safety seat within 14 days).
•Applies to both residents and non-residents of Minnesota.
•Suspected non-use is a valid basis to stop a motor vehicle.
Exceptions
•Children riding in emergency medical vehicles, when medical needs make use of a restraint unreasonable
•Children riding in a motor vehicle for hire, including a taxi, airport limousine or bus, but excluding a rented, leased or borrowed motor vehicle
•Children riding with a peace officer on official duty, when a restraint is not available (a seat belt must be substituted)
•Children certified by a licensed physician as having a medical, physical or mental disability that makes restraint use inadvisable
•Passengers in school buses with a GVWR of over 10,000 pounds.
Child Passenger Safety statute — 169.685
This law is a minimum safety standard and does not reflect best practices for properly securing children within vehicles.