Child Safety Seats
The Sheriff's Office is committed to preventing the tragic loss of life and devastating injuries caused by unrestrained passengers. Increasing the use of seat belts and child safety seats are a priority. Traffic related crashes are the leading cause of death for Americans ages 6-27. Wearing a safety belt triples your chances of surviving a crash.
Dangerous mistakes made when installing child safety seat:
- Rear facing infants in front seat with passenger side airbag
- Infant (under one year old and less than 20 pounds) facing front of vehicle
- Safety seat not anchored correctly by vehicle safety belt or latch
- Child not buckled in safety seat
- Safety seat harness straps in wrong slots
- Safety seat harness straps not over shoulders
- Loose harness straps
- Harness retainer clip not at armpit level
- Vehicle safety belt loose or in wrong belt path of safety seat
- Wrong size/type of safety seat for child
For specific details on installation of child safety seats, consult the manufacturer instructions. Make sure to send in your registration card to be notified in case your seat is recalled. For more information, call the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Auto Safety Hotline at 1-800-424-9393.
Additional child safety seat information is available on the Virginia
Department of Motor Vehicles or
NTSA website.