FAQ's

As part of PennDOT’s Buckle Up PA “Click it or Ticket” Campaign, Swatara Township Police Officers will be on the lookout for motorists who need a reminder to buckle their children and vehicle occupants.  Under PA law, all drivers are responsible for securing children in the appropriate restraint system.  Drivers are also responsible for wearing their own seat belt, and ensure that the front seat passenger is wearing a seat belt.

For additional information on seat belt laws, please continue reading below.  If you are unable to afford a car seat, call 1-800-CAR-BELT to find the nearest car seat loaner program.

A Parent's Guide to Booster Seats

The purpose of this FAQ is to inform and educate the general public on the proper child safety seat use.  The following information was obtained from the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Did you know...

Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for children of every age from 5 to 14 years - a fact that can be linked, at lease in part, to the reality that most kids are unbuckled or improperly restrained in vehicles.

When children out-grow forward-facing child safety seats, they need to be restrained in belt-positioning booster seats - until they are big enough to fit properly in an adult seat belt.

In a crash

On a small child, the adult lap belt rides up over the stomach and the shoulder belt cuts across the neck.  In a crash, this could cause serious or even fatal injuries.

Children who should use a booster seat

• A child who has outgrown a convertible child safety seat (weight over 40 lbs or height 40 inches).

• A child who weighs between about 40 and 80 lbs.

• Usually a child who is about 4 to 8 years old and is at least 35" tall.

• A child who cannot sit with his or her back straight against the vehicle seat back cushion or who cannot sit with knees bent over a vehicle's seat edge without slouching.

• For maximum protection, keep a child in a forward-facing child safety seat with full harness as long as the child fits in the seat.  (See the instructions for your child safety seat for best fit.)

Types of Booster Seats

Belt-positioning booster

• For a child about 40 to 80 lbs.

• The child sits in the booster seat and uses the vehicle lap and shoulder belts for restraint.  Lap and shoulder belts together offer better protection than lap belts only.

• Are available in high back and backless models.

High back booster with 5-point harness

With harness

• Is a forward facing child safety seat for a child 20 to 40 lbs or more.

• The 5-point harness provides full body protection.

• Child safety seat is attached to vehicle with vehicle belt system and tether (if seat has one).

High back belt-positioning booster

• At about 40 lbs the harness is removed.

• Child safety seat converts to belt-positioning booster

• Child uses the vehicle lap and shoulder belts for restraint.

• Use without tether (unless stated in manufacturer's instructions).

Shield booster

With shield

• A shield booster seat, with the shield in place can be used for children between 30-40 lbs, however, a forward-facing seat with a full harness offers the safest choice.  NHTSA and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend children over one year and between 20 to 40 lbs be restrained in a forward-facing child safety seat, with a full harness.

With shield removed

• With some booster seats, when the shield is removed, the booster seat becomes a belt-positioning booster using the vehicle lap and shoulder belts for restraint.

• Never allow a child to sit in the booster seat without the shield while using only the lap belt.

Installing a booster seat

• Read the booster seat instructions and your vehicle owner's manual before installing the booster seat.

• If the vehicle has only lap belts in the back seat, you may want to consider having shoulder belts installed by a dealer or repair facility.  Most vehicle manufacturers offer retrofit shoulder belt kits for this purpose.

Booster Seats Help Seat Belts Fit Properly

Properly fitting lap and shoulder belts reduce the potential for belt-induced injury which can occur when a lap or lap/shoulder belt is a small child's only restraint.

Buying a booster seat

• All booster seats are required by law to comply with the same standards and guidelines as child safety seats.

• When buying a booster seat, make sure that it has a label stating: "This child restraint system conforms to all applicable U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards."

• Never use a booster seat that has been in a crash.  The seat may have defects that are not visible.

• For more information on Booster Seats visit http://www.boosterseat.gov .

Remember

• All children ages 12 and under should sit in the back seat, properly restrained.  It's safer!

• Never use just a lap belt across a child sitting in a belt-positioning booster.

• Never put the shoulder belt under a child's arm or behind the back because it eliminates the protection for the upper part of the body and increases the risk of severe injury in a crash.

• Never use pillows, books, or towels to boost a child.  They can slide around and increase the likelihood of injury.

• State child passenger safety laws apply to infant, convertible, and booster child safety seats.

For more information on child safety visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website at

www.nhtsa.dot.gov

or call the DOT Auto Safety Hotline toll free at

1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236)

for the most current information.

Always fill out the registration card that comes with the seat in case of a recall.

According to the Pennsylvania State Vehicle Code, Subchapter E Child Passenger Protection - Pa. C.S. §4581. Restraint systems:

(a)(1) A child under four years of age shall be securely fastened in a child passenger restraint system as defined in the federal motor vehicle safety standard (49 CFR §571.213)

(a)(1.1) A child four years of age or older but under eight years of age shall be securely fastened in a safety seat belt system and in an appropriately fitting child booster seat as defined in the federal motor vehicle safety standard (49 CFR §571.213)

(a)(2) An occupant eight years of age or older and less than 18 years of age shall be secured in a properly adjusted and fastened safety seat belt system.

Swatara Township Police Department