Blog

Keeping Florida’s Kids Safe in Cars

Kids love feeling more grown up by switching from their car seats to a regular adult seat belt. However, as parents, it’s important that we hold firm and ensure they stay in a car seat as long as possible. Doing so can make the difference between having some bruises after a car accident versus suffering from life-altering injuries or death. If you feel tempted to give in to your children’s pleas to stop using a car seat or booster seat, keep the following statistics from Safe Kids Worldwide in mind:

• In 2019, there were 95,237 children ages 0-12 who visited an emergency room due to motor vehicle crash injuries.
• 6,128 of these children were hospitalized – that comes to 118 hospitalizations per week.
• 646 children died from the crashes. 37% of those who died were unrestrained.[1]

Florida’s Child Restraint Laws

Florida’s laws require that children age three and under be restrained in a separate car seat or a vehicle’s integrated car seat. Children ages 4-5 must be restrained in either of those seats or a booster seat. For safety purposes though, if your child is small, they may need to stay in a car seat longer. Check the manufacturer’s instructions regarding the size requirements for your car seat.

At ages six and older, the law only requires that the child be restrained by a seat belt. While doing so fulfills Florida’s legal requirements, it is far safer for them to remain in a booster seat until they are between ages 8-12, depending on the size of your child and the manufacturer’s recommendations for your booster seat.

To switch from a booster seat to a seat belt only, Safe Kids Worldwide recommends the following:

• The child’s knees need to bend at the edge of the seat when their back and bottom are against the seat back. The feet should touch the floor.
• The lap belt must fit snugly across the hips or upper thighs.
• The shoulder belt must fit across the shoulder and chest. It should not hit their face or neck.[2]

Once children outgrow their booster seat, the law requires that they use a seat belt through age 17. If you are caught driving without your child properly restrained, you are subject to a fine and three points on your license. More importantly, your child could sustain life-threatening injuries, such as a spinal cord injury, a traumatic brain injury, or even die.

As a law firm specializing in helping car crash victims, we have seen the devastation that an accident can cause. You owe it to your children to give them the best chance for walking away from a car accident with little or no injuries – make sure they are properly restrained.

---

[1] Safe Kids Worldwide. fast_facts_-_mvc_occupant_injuries_among_ages_0-12_in_2019.pdf (safekids.org). Accessed July 28, 2022.

[2] Safe Kids Worldwide. Seat belts | Safe Kids Worldwide. Accessed July 28, 2022.