Colorado Laws on Child Seats
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Colorado requires child safety seats up to age six.
child in a carseat image by Renata Osinska from Fotolia.com
Colorado has a comprehensive child passenger safety law that covers children from birth up to the age of 16. The law specifically requires rear-facing and forward-facing child safety seats for younger children, as well as booster seat and seat belt use for older children. The booster and seat belt provisions were added when Colorado expanded its child passenger safety law in 2003.
Rear-Facing Child Seat Law
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Colorado requires a rear-facing safety seat until the child is at least one year old and weighs at least 20 pounds. This can be an infant seat or a convertible seat used in the rear-facing position.
Forward-Facing Child Seat Law
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The law requires the use of a forward-facing child restraint for children over the age of one and under the age of four years and weighing between 20 and 40 pounds. This can be a convertible seat used in the forward-facing position or a booster seat with a built-in five-point harness.
Booster Seat Law
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Colorado added a booster seat law in 2003, requiring the use of a seat belt-positioning booster seat for children who are four to six years old or weigh over 40 pounds but are less than 55 inches tall.
Seat Belt Law
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The 2003 law also added a seat belt requirement. All children who are six to 16 years old or at least 55 inches tall must wear the vehicle's lap and shoulder seat belt.
Exemptions
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Colorado child seat laws apply to all private, noncommercial vehicles. Commercial vehicles such as school buses are exempt from the law. There is also an exemption for children being transported due to medical emergency. The law allows for lap-only seat belt use for children over age four if the vehicle is only equipped with lap belts.
Penalty for Violation
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The driver is fined a minimum of $58.80 for each child in the vehicle who is not properly restrained.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Recommendations
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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommendations for child passenger safety exceed most state laws. Car accidents are the number one cause of death for children ages three through 14, and adequate child safety seat use can prevent injury or death. The NHTSA recommends a rear-facing car seat until the child is at least one year of age and at least 20 pounds, a forward-facing harnessed seat until at least age four or until the child reaches the height or weight limit of the seat, a seat belt-positioning booster seat until the child is eight years old or at least 4 feet 9 inches tall, and a lap/shoulder belt in the back seat for children over 4 feet 9 inches in height.
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- Photo Credit child in a carseat image by Renata Osinska from Fotolia.com
