Child Passenger Safety

Keeping Kids Safe in Vehicles

Children pay with their lives if you don't protect them with proper car seat use.
From 2016 – 2020 in Minnesota:

20 children (ages 0-7) were killed in motor vehicles and only eight of the victims were known to be properly secured (8 were not properly restrained, and restraint use was unknown in 4 fatalities).
Of the 87 children (ages 0-7) seriously injured in motor vehicles, only 49 percent were known to be properly secured.

In Minnesota, all children must be in a child restraint until they are 4’9” tall, or at least age 8, whichever comes first.
Rear-facing child seats - Keep your child rear-facing as long as possible. Your child should remain in a rear-facing car seat until he or she reaches the top height or weight limit allowed by your car seat’s manufacturer.
Forward-facing seats - Once your child outgrows the 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 a harness and tether until he or she reaches the top height or weight limit allowed by your car seat’s manufacturer.
Booster seats - Use after outgrowing a forward-facing harnessed restraint; safest to remain in a booster until 4 feet 9 inches tall, or at least age 8, whichever comes first.
Seat belts - Use when children can sit with their back against the vehicle seat and have their knees bent comfortably over the edge with their feet touching the floor.

In the past five years (2016-2020), 20 children (ages 0–7) were killed in motor vehicles and only 40 percent of the victims were known to be properly secured.
Of the 86 children (ages 0–7) seriously injured in motor vehicles in the past five years, only 50 percent of the victims were known to be properly secured.
Of the 15,672 children ages 0–7 who were properly restrained in the past five years, 88 percent were not injured, and another 9 percent sustained only minor or possible injuries.

Be an attentive driver
Always buckle up
Always secure your children in the proper restraint for their age, height and weight.
Always have your children sit in the back seat.

See what happens to a child in the front seat when an air bag deploys.