Car Seats
"Protect your most precious cargo! Have your child safety seat
inspected by certified Car Seat Technicians at our station!"
Always secure rear-facing infant seats in the backseat!
Buckle up every child in the car properly - and buckle up yourself too!
Children should always be buckled in the backseat!
The Backseat is the safest seat for all children!
- Motor vehicle collisions are the leading cause of death for children 5 to 15 years of age.
- A study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration concluded children are safer riding in the backseat.
- Airbags are life saving devices, but special precautions must be taken when driving children in airbag-equipped vehicles.
- Children risk injury if they are unbelted, improperly belted, or positioned too close to the dashboard when an airbag inflates. To play it safe, always buckle children in the backseat.
- If a child must rid in the front seat, or the vehicle does not have a backseat, move the seat as far back as possible from the dashboard and make sure the child is buckled properly.
- Never place rear-facing infant safety seats in the front seat of a vehicle with a front passenger-side airbag.
- The back of the safety seat in this position is too close to the inflating airbag and the infant could be killed or seriously injured.
Colorado's Child Passenger Safety Law
(Colo. Revised Statues 42-4-236)
Effective July 1987
(Colo. Revised Statues 42-4-236)
Effective July 1987
Who does the law cover?
- Children at least 4 years old and under 16 are required to buckle up at all seating positions
- Under existing law, children under 4 years old and under 40 lbs. Are already required to use and approved child safety seat in all seating positions.
- The law applies to children transported by childcare centers, as well as in privately owned vehicles.
Who is responsible?
- The driver is responsible for ensuring that all passengers under 16 years old are provided with and properly use a safety seat or safety belt.
- The fine is minimum of $50.00 and drivers can be stopped and ticketed for violating the law alone, even if there are no other violations.
What are the exemptions?
- Children are exempt from the child restraint system and the safety belt requirements when:
- All seating positions in a privately owned, non-commercial vehicle are occupied.
- A child is being transported in a medical emergency.
- Children are being transported in a motor vehicle built to commercial standards, such as a school bus.
Colorado Safety Belt Law
(Colo. Revised Statues 42-4-237)
Effective July 1987
(Colo. Revised Statues 42-4-237)
Effective July 1987
Who does the law cover?
- Drivers and passengers in the front seat are required to buckle up.
Who is responsible?
- The driver is responsible!
- The fine is a minimum of $15.00 and drivers can be ticketed when they are stopped for an unrelated violation if not buckled up.
What are the exemptions?
- Children covered by the child passenger safety law
- Vehicles manufactured without safety belts, generally those produced before 1968
- A person who cannot use a safety belt as a result of a physical or psychological condition certified in writing by a physician.
Why are Safety Belts Important?
- Safety belts increase the odds of surviving a traffic crash by 50%
Why are Safety Seats Important?
- Car seats are 71% effective in preventing fatalities and 67% effective in reducing the need for hospitalization when used correctly.
Got and Airbag On/Off switch?
- Probably not a good idea. From the late 1980’s through 1997, air bags saved about 2,620 people. For more information call NHTSA at 1.800.424.9393.
For more information or questions, please contact the Berthoud Fire Protection District at (970) 532-2264.
