All 50 states address child motor vehicle safety by enforcing car seat laws and requirements. A car seat is a device that is specifically designed to protect a small child in the event of a car crash. States also require booster seats for certain age ranges and heights. Booster seats lift a small child to the correct height to properly use a shoulder and lap belt.
In Colorado, the following car seat requirements must be obeyed based on the age and size of the child:
Rear-facing car seat: any child less than one year old and weighing less than 20 pounds must be secured in a rear-facing child restraint system in the back seat of a passenger vehicle.
Rear-facing or forward-facing car seat: any child that is one to four years old and weighing 20 to 40 pounds must be secured in a rear-facing or forward-facing child restraint system.
Booster seat: all children up to the age of eight years old must be properly secured in the correct child restraint system, such as a booster seat.
Seat belt: from ages 8 to 15, all children in Colorado are required to remain properly restrained in a child restraint system or using a seat belt.
Failing to restrain a child under the age of eight in the appropriate child restraint system is against the law in Colorado. It is also an example of negligence by the parent or legal guardian, as it increases the odds of child injury in an accident. The only exceptions are if the child is being transported as part of a life-threatening emergency, is being transported in a commercial vehicle that is operated by a child care center or is being transported in a vehicle operated by a common carrier.