Car Seat Safety
| Age Group | Type of Seat | General Guidelines |
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Infants/toddlers
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Rear-facing only seats and rear-facing convertible seats
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All infants and toddlers should ride in a Rear-Facing Car Seat until they are 2 years of age or until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car seat’s manufacturer.
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Toddler/preschoolers
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Convertible seats and forward-facing seats with harness
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Any child 2 years or older who has outgrown the rear-facing weight or height limit for their car seat, should use a Forward-Facing Car Seat with a harness for as long as possible, up to the highest weight or height allowed their car seat�s manufacturer. This also applies to any child younger than 2 years who has outgrown the rear-facing weight or height limit of their seat.
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School-aged children
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Booster seats
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All children whose weight or height is above the forward-facing limit for their car seat should use a Belt-Positioning Booster Seat until the vehicle seat belt fits properly, typically when they have reached 4 feet 9 inches in height and are between 8 and 12 years of age.
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Older children
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Seat belts
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When children are old enough and large enough to use the vehicle seat belt alone, they should always use Lap and Shoulder Seat Belts for optimal protection.
All children younger than 13 years should be restrained in the rear seats of vehicles for optimal protection.
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Please refer to the the additional links for more information.
Texas DPS
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)