New car seat laws take effect January 1, 2025 | News

On June 4, 2024, Governor Jared Polis signed a bill updating Colorado’s child restraint system laws for the first time in 14 years. The new changes will come into force on January 1, 2025.

Car Seats Colorado, Colorado’s Child Passenger Safety Program, offers certification courses to become a Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician, resources for maintaining certification and training, and resources for caregivers, community groups and agencies.

“We have about 100 inspection stations in the state of Colorado. There, parents can have their car seats checked, meet with the technician and make sure they are using their car seat properly and that everything is in order,” said Angel Giffin, state child safety training coordinator.

Key changes in the Child Safety Act include:

• Booster seats: Children are now required to use a car seat or booster seat until age 9 (previously under 8).

• Rear-Facing Car Seats: Children under 2 years old and weighing under 40 pounds must be secured in a rear-facing car seat in the back seat, if available (previously under 1 year old and under 20 pounds). Children under 2 years old but weighing over 40 pounds can use either a rear-facing or forward-facing car seat.

• Minimum Age for Seat Belts or Car Seats: Children under 18 must now be properly restrained in a seat belt or child restraint system (previously under 16).

Free car seat inspections increase safety

According to the Child Passenger Safety Board’s National Digital Car Seat Check Form (NDCF) database, 78 percent of car seats inspected by child passenger safety technicians in Colorado last year were improperly used or improperly installed. In 2022, the abuse rate was almost 70 percent.

“That’s partly because people don’t like reading instruction panels,” Giffin said. “People don’t understand that our car seats are technological devices. There’s a misconception that you just pop it in, strap it on and you’re good to go. But there’s a lot of technology in it.”

Giffin said it is important to understand and activate the locking mechanism in the seat belt and ensure the lock installation method is used correctly.

“There’s just a lot of different nuances: tilt angles, making sure they’re appropriate, making sure they’re tight enough,” she said. “People just don’t understand what a serious problem it is when used properly.”

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that child restraint systems reduce passenger vehicle fatalities by 71 percent for infants and 54 percent for young children.​

“The fact that statistically three out of every four car seats we saw were misused scares me,” Giffin said. “Often parents say, ‘My friend taught me,’ or ‘This is my second, third, or fourth child.'” I honestly believe that every child deserves to have their car seat inspected. You deserve this gift of security. It’s not like the caregivers are intentionally doing something wrong. They don’t know what they don’t know. “

Parents and caregivers are responsible for properly restraining a child and will be ticketed if they fail to do so.

“The easiest way to ensure you’re compliant is to make sure you follow the labels and rules on your car seat,” Giffin said. “Colorado law requires these child restraints to be appropriate for that child based on the car seat regulations and the manufacturer’s height and weight specifications, but Colorado law also requires these car seats to be properly installed. So if they really take the time to read their car seat and their vehicle’s owner’s manual and do it properly, … they are actually better protected than the law requires.”

Chaffee County Public Health offers car seat inspections by appointment. The best way to prepare for an inspection, Giffin said, is to practice and review installation procedures in advance. Inspections are free.

“Bring the car seat and the vehicle’s owner’s manual,” Giffin said. “We generally recommend that you at least skim through these manuals. … We teach them the basics of how to adjust their car seat to fit their child and show them the height and weight limits. We show them how to adjust all the parts and pieces to achieve the correct angle and how to adjust the harness to ensure it fits the child properly. We also show you the technology in your vehicle.

“The more they practice before coming to us, the better the appointment will be.”

If you cannot afford a car seat for your child(ren), WeeCycle, Children’s Hospital Colorado and SafeKids Colorado Springs offer programs through which families can receive a free or low-cost car seat.

“It is important to remember that car seat fit is very individual,” Trooper Kent Trimbach of the Colorado State Patrol and Car Seat Colorado Program Coordinator said in a Dec. 4 news release. “Fit must be based on the child’s size and developmental stage, not just their age. To maximize safety, it is critical to ensure each car seat is properly adjusted and installed.”

For more details on the changes and to find a car seat inspection location near you, visit CarSeatsColorado.com. If you have any questions, Giffin can be reached at [email protected]