TRIBAL GOVERNMENTS CAN:
Enforce child passenger restraint laws that require all children until at least age 9 to travel properly buckled in an
age- and size-appropriate car seat or booster seat.
Provide education and incentives for the use of car seats and booster seats.
HEALTH PROFESSIONALS CAN:
Keep up-to-date on child passenger safety. Learn more at www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/cps.
Counsel parents and caregivers at each well-child checkup about:
the importance of using age- and size-appropriate car seats, booster seats, and seat belts on every trip,
the back seat being the safest place for all children under age 13, and
the correct time to move a child to the next seat type or seat belt.
CAR SEATS AND BOOSTER SEATS
Using the correct car seat or booster seat can be a lifesaver.
OREGON STATE CHILD RESTRAINT LAW
CHILD PASSENGER RESTRAINTS ARE NOT AN OPTION, THEY ARE THE LAW!
All children must be restrained in an appropriate child restraint system while riding in a motor vehicle, until the adult seatbelt fits them correctly.
An appropriate child restraint system is one that meets the child’s size and weight recommended by the manufacturer.
04/2021
Recommended age ranges for each seat type vary to account for dierences in child development, growth and height/weight limits of car seats and
booster seats. Use the car seat or booster seat owner’s manual to check installation and the seat height/weight limits, and proper seat use. If a child is
eight years old or younger AND is under 4’9” tall, Oregon law requires that you continue to use a child restraint system.
REAR- FACING CAR SEAT
Birth up to at least age 2
Child rides rear- facing in the back
seat using the harness until until at
least age 2 or until they reach the
upper weight or height limit of that
car seat. (Convertible seats can be
used both rear and forward facing.)
Rear - Facing Harness Position
» Harness straps at or below
shoulders.
» Harness clip position is on chest
between armpits.
Installation
Rear- Facing car seat must be
attached to the vehicle with either
the vehicle’s seat belt or the lower
anchors.
Properly installed car seats should
not move more than one inch side to
side and front to back.
Never place a rear facing car seat in
front of an active airbag.
FORWARD-FACING CAR SEAT
Age 2 up to at least 40 lbs
When a child outgrows their rear
facing car seat they should still
ride in the back seat, in a forward
facing car seat with a harness until
they weigh at least 40 pounds or
they reach the upper height or
weight limit of their forward-facing
harnessed car seat. (Convertible
seats can be used both rear and
forward facing/ combination seats
are a combination of forward facing
with harness and booster.)
Forward- Facing Harness Position
» Harness strap position at or above
shoulders.
» Harness clip position is on chest
between armpits.
Installation
Forward facing car seats must be
attached to the vehicle with either
the vehicle’s seat belt and tether (if
available) OR the lower anchors and
tether.
Properly installed car seats should
not move more than one inch side to
side and front to back.
BOOSTER SEAT
Age 4 up to at least age 8
It is recommended that children ride
in the back seat using a car seat with
a harness until they reach the top
weight or height limit allowed by the
car seat’s manufacturer.
When the child outgrows their
forward-facing car seat with a
harness, it is time to move them to a
booster seat, while still riding in the
vehicle’s back seat. (Combination
seats are a combination of forward
facing with harness and booster)
Booster Seat Belt Position:
» The shoulder belt lies snug across
the shoulder and chest and not
across the neck or face.
» The lap belt lies across the upper
thighs (not the stomach).
Installation
Booster seats use the seat belt to
restrain the child and help guide
the belt o of the child’s neck and
face and lift the child to a position
that keeps the lap belt o of the
stomach.
SEAT BELT
8 + Years
The safety belt in your vehicle is
designed to fit adults, not children.
Because children grow at dierent
rates, they may still need a booster
seat between age 8-12+. Oregon
Law requires proper fit of the adult
seatbelt.
Seat belts fit properly when:
» The lap belt lies across the upper
thighs (not the stomach).
» The shoulder belt lies snug across
the shoulder and chest and not
across the neck or face.
» Children should be tall enough
to comfortably bend their knees
over the edge of the backseat
with their back against the vehicle
seat.
It is highly recommended that all
children under age 13 ride properly
restrained in the back seat.
In the front seat, the driver and
each passenger must wear a seat
belt, one person per belt. The driver
and frontseat passengers aged 16 or
older can be fined up to $115 each
for failure to wear a seat belt.
Birth 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12+
Every occupant, regardless of age or seating position must be restrained by a safety restraint. Each passenger under age 16
must wear a seat belt or use an appropriate child safety restraint system. The driver must make sure that each passenger
under age 16 obeys the law. The driver can be fined $115.
Child passenger safety recommendations: American Academy of Pediatrics, National Highway Trac Safety Administration (NHTSA), and OHSU
Doernbecher Safety Center. Graphic design adapted from NHTSA and Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees.
