DENVER—For families buckling up their tiniest passengers, new laws regarding children in car seats are already in effect. According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, these new rules are based on evidence-based practices already in place in other states.
"We want people to keep their kids in booster seats until they're 9 years old now. It used to be 8 years, just a little bit of a nudge there. And then for rear-facing car seats for those little infants, we want them being there until they're about 2 or less than 40 pounds. Then we want all children to be in restraints until they're 18 years old. Those are new rules that Colorado has adopted, and I think it's going to save lives," CDOT traffic safety manager Sam Cole said.
Cole said it has been a decade or two since car seat rules were updated, and these new regulations have been proven to keep kids safer in the vehicle as parents move their kids out of the booster seat to a seatbelt when it is too soon.
"An infant's body is so incredibly vulnerable. That's why you got to take a few extra minutes and make sure that infant is buckled in correctly in a rear-facing car seat as long as possible," explained Cole. "It used to be that people would move them out of that rear-facing car seat, around one year old, no, we want people to keep them in that rear-facing car seat till they're 2 years old or under 40 pounds."
For parents like Katerina Pietrafeso, whose 17-month-old son Enzo is in a rear-facing car seat, this new law will help protect other children in the state and follow modern safety recommendations.
"I think it's great. I specifically picked the car seat that I picked for him because it had extended rear-facing weight and height limits. So obviously, it's the safest way for children to be in the car and rear-facing. I think it's great that it's required by law now. Hopefully, it just means a lot more safe toddlers in Denver," Pietrafeso said.
As many families get ready to buckle their children up and travel to new places in the new year, Cole hopes people will remind each other of this new law and the ways in which it can protect the smallest of riders.
"This isn't something that's on everybody's minds, not everybody's got a little kid, but everybody knows somebody that's got a little kid, so please help us spread the word, it could actually save a life," Cole said.
During the winter months, Cole also emphasized how a puffy winter jacket can be dangerous as the harness straps can be too loose and not protect your child. He said, "The best way you can check on your child's coat is to put them in the car seat with the coat on, adjust the straps, then take them out of the car seat, put them back in it without their coat on and if those straps are loose, that's the indication that they have a coat on that's just too puffy, and they shouldn't be using it."
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