< Injury Prevention Programs

Motor Vehicle Safety

Motor vehicle crashes are the second leading cause of death in Arkansas for children and youth ages 1-19 (CDC, 2021). Many of these deaths and injuries can be prevented. Injury Prevention offers programs to educate parents on the importance of motor vehicle safety. Please select an age group below to learn more about motor vehicle safety for children and teens.

Birth to 4 Years of Age

Forward Facing Car SeatYour child under age 1 should always ride in a rear-facing car seat. Keep your child rear-facing as long as possible. Your child should remain in a rear-facing car seat until he or she reached the top height or weight limit allowed by your car seat’s manufacturer.

There are different types of rear-facing car seats:

  • Infant-only seats can only be used rear-facing.
  • Convertible and all-in-one car seats usually have higher height and weight limits for the rear-facing position, allowing you to keep your child rear-facing for a longer period of time.

Once your child has outgrown their rear-facing car seat, your child is ready to travel in a forward-facing car seat with a harness.

 

4-8 Years of Age

Forward Facing Car SeatOnce your child has outgrown their rear-facing car seat, your child is ready to travel in a forward-facing car seat with a harness and tether. Keep your child in a forward-facing car seat with harness and tether until he or she reaches the top height or weight limit allowed by your car seat’s manufacturer. Once your child outgrows the forward-facing car seat with a harness, they are ready to travel in a booster seat but still in the back seat.

There are different types of forward-facing car seats:

  • Convertible and all-in-one car seats can be used both rear- and forward-facing. Once your child has reached the top height or weight limit in the rear-facing position, you can turn the car seat around and continue to use the car seat until the child reached the top height or weight limit in the forward-facing position. Be sure to read the car seat manufacturer’s instructions because some adjustments to the harness may need to be made.
  • Combination seats can only be used forward-facing.

 

8-14 Years of Age

Seat Belt IconBooster Seat IconKeep your child in a booster seat until he or she is big enough to fit in a seat belt properly. For a seat belt to fit properly, the lap belt must lie snugly across the upper thighs, not on the stomach. The shoulder belt should lie snugly across the shoulder and chest and not across the neck or face. Your child should continue to ride in the back seat.

 

Child Passenger Safety Education Program

The correct and consistent use of car seats can reduce the risk of death by 71 percent for infants and 54 percent for toddlers. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children stay rear-facing in their car seats until the age of 2 or until a child reaches the upper weight and height limits of his car seat. Children should then stay forward-facing until they reach their seat’s upper weight and height limits for that position. The CPS Education program offers several services for the public to save lives and prevent injuries of children in motor vehicle crashes.

    Current activities of the Child Passenger Safety Education program include:

  • Providing educational workshops on the basics of child passenger safety.
  • Conducting National Highway Traffic Safety Administration child passenger training courses to train CPS technicians.
  • Loaning child safety seats to parents and caregivers.
  • Conducting child safety seat check-ups for parents and caregivers to ensure correct installation of child seats. Learn more by calling 501-364-3400.
  • Coordinating a statewide child safety seat distribution program for communities with certified CPS technicians. This distribution program provides seed resources to organizations that have or are establishing CPS activities or have opportunities to access children from vulnerable populations throughout the state.
  • Funding for the CPS program originates with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and is administered through the Highway Safety Office of the Arkansas State Police.

Arkansas Child Passenger Safety Stations

Find a CPS technician or check-up event in your area.

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Child Passenger Safety (CPS)

State law requires that a child is in a booster seat until they are at least 6 years of age and 60 pounds. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that a child remains in a booster seat until they are at least 8 years of age, 80 pounds or 4' 9" tall. Booster seats raise a child up so the seat belt will fit the child and provide a safe ride. The longer you can keep your child in a booster seat the better. Children ages 4-8 are 45 percent less likely to receive injuries in a car crash if a booster seat is used as opposed to seat belt alone. (Arbogast KB, 2009)

How do I know when my child is safe to ride without a booster seat?

If you can answer YES to ALL five of the following questions, then your child should be ready to stop using a booster seat and start using just the seat belt. Keep your child in a booster if the answer is NO to any of these questions.

  1. Can the child sit all the way back against the vehicle seat?
  2. When sitting all the way back in the seat, do the child's knees bend comfortably at the edge of the seat?
  3. Is the lap belt on the top part of the child's thighs?
  4. Is the shoulder belt centered on the child's chest and shoulders? Never put the shoulder belt behind the child. If it is too high and goes across their neck or face, they need to be in a booster seat.
  5. Can the child stay seated like this for the entire trip?

Arkansas Child Passenger Safety Stations

Find a CPS technician or check-up event in your area.

View Map

Motor Vehicle Safety for Tweens

Children under the age of 13 are safest riding in the back seat, away from airbags. For children 16 and younger, riding in the back seat lowers the risk of injury by 40 percent. (Durbin DR, 2005)
Parents should discuss with their “tween” ager why wearing a seat belt on every trip is important. Parents and tweens can also talk about being a mature passenger by not creating distractions for a driver. 

Safer Teen Driving

Driving means FREEDOM to teens. While learning to drive is a big step toward becoming an adult, keep in mind that teens are not yet adults. New teen drivers need time and practice to be safe behind the wheel. In Arkansas, teens die in car crashes at a higher rate than the United States as a whole. We can protect teens and others on the road by guiding teens through a step-by-step approach to safer driving. Arkansas has a graduated driver licensing (GDL) law that limits nighttime driving, restricts cell phone use and limits the number of passengers allowed for teen drivers. 

Resources

Car Seat Check-up appointments are scheduled at Arkansas Children's Hospital campus in Little Rock on Tuesday and Thursday, based on the availability of trained staff. A Child Passenger Safety Technician evaluates the current car seat, checks that it is appropriate based on the child's age and weight, ensures correct installation, and answers questions.

For more information, contact the Child Passenger Safety Education Program at 501-364-3400.

Arkansas Law and AAP Recommendations

  • Children are required to ride in an appropriate child safety restraint until they are at least 6 years of age or 60 lbs.
  • All children under 15 years of age must be buckled no matter where they are in the vehicle.
  • The Primary Seat Belt Law requires drivers and front-seat passengers to be buckled up at all times.
  • Act 811 states that it is illegal to smoke in the car with a child who is less than 14 years old.
  • The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children stay rear-facing in their car seats until the age of 2 or until a child reaches the upper weight limits of his car seat. Children should then stay forward-facing until they reach their seat’s upper weight and height limits for that position.

Basic Guidelines for Child Safety Seat Usage

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants remain rear-facing until the upper weight limit of a convertible seat (usually 30-35 pounds) as long as they are within the height requirements of the seat. At a minimum, Infants should remain rear-facing in the back seat until at least 1 yr. old AND at least 20 lbs.

  • Children may ride forward-facing once they are over 20 lbs. and 1 year of age in a seat with an internal 5-point harness. They should ride in a seat with an internal harness until they reach the weight limit of the harness (usually 40-65 pounds) as long as they are still within the height limit of the seat.
  • Once the child weighs at least 40 lbs., the child should ride in a booster seat in the back seat until they are at least 4’9" tall. Booster seats MUST be used with a lap and shoulder belt. NEVER a lap-only belt.
  • Before being allowed to use only the vehicle lap & shoulder seat belt, the child should be able to sit up with knees bent at the edge of the vehicle seat, the seat belt shoulder strap should fit comfortably across the chest (not across the neck), and the seat belt lap strap should fit low and tight across the upper thighs.

Contact an Injury Prevention Expert

Contact an injury prevention expert at 501-364-3400 or email us at injuryprevention@archildrens.org.