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Car seats are important, and they are required by law in Arizona. However, most people are unfamiliar with exactly what the law says regarding car seat usage. This is important information to know, particularly if you have children or will be transporting children anytime in the near future. You want to remain legal on the roadway, and you also want to ensure the safety of every passenger inside your vehicle.
When we turn to Section 28-907 of Arizona law, we can see that child car seats are required. These requirements depend on the age of the child and, in some circumstances, the height of the child.
Any child under the age of five in Arizona must be properly secured in a child restraint system. The law in Arizona does not specifically list infants, but any child under five must be in a rear-facing child restraint system and secured correctly. The system cannot be installed facing forward, cannot be installed in the front seat, and cannot be in front of active airbags.
Arizona does not specifically list the requirements for rear-facing car seats, but it is generally accepted that the seat must remain rear-facing until the child is at least one year old and 20 pounds in weight. However, safety experts recommended that children remain in the rear-facing seat for as long as the seat manufacturer specifications say to do so.
State law requires any child between the ages of five and seven to ride in a booster seat unless they have reached the height of 4 feet 9 inches tall. After a child reaches the age of eight or once a child has reached the height requirements, they are no longer required to use a booster seat.
Arizona law does not specifically state when a child can legally sit in the front seat. However, most vehicle manufacturers place warnings in the vehicles stating that children should ride in the rear seats until they reach the age of 13. Of course, there are exceptions to this that should be handled on a case-by-case basis. However, under no circumstances should any rear-facing child seats be placed in front of an active air bag. Most newer vehicles do have ways for drivers to turn off front airbags if they must put a car seat in the front seat.
When we turn to data available from the Arizona Department of Transportation, we can see data that shows us why it is so important for child safety seats to be used. When a safety device was used for a child less than five years of age, injuries occurred in less than 10% of crashes. However, when a safety device was not used for a child less than five years of age, injuries occurred in more than 35% of the collisions. Time and time again, studies have shown that child safety seats dramatically increase the safety of children in the vehicle.
At Shapiro Law Team, we are passionate about helping those injured in car accidents and their families. If you have been in a car accident in Scottsdale, contact our lawyers for free today. Call (480) 210-2543 24/7 to schedule an initial consultation.