Children of different ages must ride in the appropriate child restraint system for their size. Infants should ride in rear-facing child safety seats until they have reached both 20 pounds AND 1 year of age . Never place a rear-facing child safety seat in front of an air bag . Children who have outgrown their child safety seats but are too small to wear seat belts properly should ride in booster seats. Seat belts fit properly when they can be worn with the lap portion of the belt low and tight across the hips, and the shoulder portion across the shoulder without cutting across the face or neck.
All children are safest in the back seat.
For help on selecting and using child restraint systems correctly, see the Academy's materials on car seat safety . For further details on transporting children safely, see the Academy's air bag safety information. More information on the Buckle Up America Campaign and tools that will help you to increase seat belt use in your community. Presidential Seat Belt Initiative Containing information and strategies for increasing seat belt use and decreasing child occupant fatalities. Traffic Safety Materials Catalog Ordering information for traffic safety materials available from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.