Colorado Parents Need to Check Their Child Car Seats Immediately

Every parent in Colorado wants what's best for their kids; yet, when it comes to those car safety seats, there's a problem: They're not installed, or being used, correctly.

The last thing any parent would want is to get into an accident and find that, because their child's safety seat wasn't being used right, their kids suffered an injury. The guilt that must come with something like that has to be overwhelming.

Colorado's numbers, when it comes to those who are using kids safety seats correctly versus the wrong way, point to a lot of parents being misinformed.

Majority of Colorado Parents Not Using Child Safety Seats Correctly

In September of 2024, prior to a car seat safety check, Colorado Department of Transportation included alarming information when it came to safety checks in 2023:

Last year in Colorado, our technicians found that more than three-quarters of all car seats inspected statewide were in some way putting the child at risk in a crash.

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The numbers showed that 78% of their checks found that the child seats were not being used properly. When you think about how many (not a lot) people actually go to these safety checks, the true number has to be closer to 90%.

RELATED: Another Colorado City Bans Sugary Drinks for Kids

Size, Not Age, Matters When It Comes to Kids' Safety Seats

Car Seats Colorado reminds parents, that car seats, booster seats and seat belts are developed to protect children based on their size, not their age. Even though your child is older, doesn't necessarily mean that they're ready to move up.

Update to Colorado's Child Safety Seats Law Coming in 2025

As of January 1, 2025 parents in Colorado will need to know about the changes to the state's Child Passenger Safety & Education law, including:

• Raising the age for mandatory use of a car seat or booster seat from 8 to 9 years old.
• Increasing the rear-facing car seat requirement to under 2 years old (up from one-year-olds) and under 40 pounds (up from under 20 pounds.)
• Increasing the age at which children must be restrained in a seat belt from under 16 years of age to under 18 years of age.

Yes, you can already hear kids complaining about these changes, but parents have to be firm; especially when it comes to their kids safety. You can have your child safety seat inspected for free, at any time; check for locations here.