A Florida 1 year old boy died after his car seat was ejected from a car this past weekend. According to The Miami Herald, he was strapped to his car seat but the car seat was not secured to the SUV which he, his mother and father were traveling in.
As a reminder, infants should ride rear-facing in a back seat until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat’s manufacturer. At a minimum, children should ride rear-facing until they have reached at least 1 year of age and weigh at least 20 pounds. When children reach the highest weight or length allowed by the manufacturer of their infant-only seat, they should continue to ride rear-facing in a convertible seat.
Toddlers and preschoolers – It is best for children to ride rear-facing as long as possible to the highest weight and height allowed by the manufacturer of their convertible seat. When they have outgrown the seat rear-facing, they should use a forward-facing seat with a full harness for as long as they fit in it.
School-aged children – Booster seats are for older children who have outgrown their forward-facing car safety seats. Children should stay in a booster seat until adult belts fit correctly (usually when a child reaches about 4′ 9″ in height and is between 8 and 12 years of age).
Children who have outgrown their booster seats should ride in a lap and shoulder seat belt in the back seat until 13 years of age.
Refer to http://www.dmvflorida.org/seat-belt-laws.shtml for further details and information regarding Florida Seat Belt Laws.
If you or a loved one has suffered an injury due to an auto accident, please call the Law Offices of Shannon J. Sagan at 1-800-FLA-LAWYER today for your free consultation.