On January 1st, a new law regarding the installation of child car seats goes into effect in Colorado

Beginning January 1, 2025, parents and guardians in Colorado will notice changes to how their child’s car seat is installed in their vehicle.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, car accidents remain the leading cause of death for children in the United States. In 2023, 78% of car seats inspected by child safety technicians in Colorado were improperly used or improperly installed. This is according to the Child Passenger Safety Board’s National Digital Car Seat Check Form (NDCF) database. This value represents an increase compared to 2022, when the abuse rate was almost 70%.

On June 4, Governor Jared Polis signed a new bill (HB24-1055) that updates Colorado’s child restraint law for the first time in 14 years. The updates reflect the latest research and recommendations on child safety and ensure laws keep pace with evolving best practices.

These new changes 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).

Angel Giffin, state coordinator of child safety training for the Colorado Department of Transportation, tells Your First Alert Traffic Tracker reporter Brian Sherrod that these changes are necessary to protect your child’s head, neck and spine. Giffin tells Sherrod that all parents and guardians need to prepare for what-if scenarios, especially accidents.

“We all like to think that we are very careful drivers, but we know that there are a lot of distracted or impaired drivers out there that we need to watch out for,” Giffin said. “We have to prepare for that. Every time we get into the vehicle, we have to make sure we take a few minutes to properly buckle these children up. We also need to make sure we wear seatbelts properly as adults. We are role models and protect ourselves.”

If you have problems installing your car seat, read your car seat instruction manual and your vehicle manual. If installation is still complicated, contact a car seat specialist at CarseatsColorado.com. Installation and instruction are free. There are 100 stations throughout the state of Colorado. Each installation takes between 20 and 30 minutes.

Parents and guardians also need to be wary of counterfeit car seats. Check the label, manufacturer plates, and expiration date on car seats. Giffin says all labels must be in English. You may see Spanish as a second language. Every car seat should say “Approved for Use in Motor Vehicles.”

Also, register your car seat with the manufacturer. If there is a recall, you will be the first to know about it.