TxDOT offers FREE car seat safety checks
Certified technicians can help ensure your seat is installed correctly, giving you peace of mind when you’re on the road. This service is available in Texas all year long.
Are you sure your child’s car seat is installed correctly?
Car seats save lives — but only if they’re used properly. Nearly half of all car seats on the road today are not. Between seat belt paths, anchor straps, and height/weight limits, even careful parents can make a mistake.
Texas Child Passenger Safety Law
Texas Transportation Code 545.412:
All children younger than 8 years old, unless taller than 4'9", must ride in an appropriate child safety seat system installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
5 most common mistakes when using a child car seat
- Harness through wrong slots
- Harness too loose
- Chest clip incorrectly positioned
- Incorrect seat belt path used
- Loose car seat installation
Car Seat Stages
Use: Rear-facing car seat with 5-point harness
Why: Safest position for infants and toddlers. Keep them in a rear-facing car seat with a 5-point harness as long as possible, until they reach the highest weight or height limit allowed by their car seat manufacturer—even if that’s past age 2.
Use: Forward-facing car seat with 5-point harness
Why: Children may ride in a forward-facing car seat with a 5-point harness when they are at least 2 years old or have outgrown their rear-facing seat. Use a forward-facing seat until the child reaches the highest weight or height limit allowed by their car seat manufacturer.
Use: Belt-positioning booster seat
Why: Children who have outgrown a forward-facing car seat should transition to a belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle’s seat belt fits properly. By law, they must remain in a booster seat until they are 4'9" or 8 years old.
Use: Seat belt
Why: Once the vehicle’s lap belt fits snugly across the thighs, the shoulder belt crosses mid-shoulder/chest (not the neck), and the child’s feet rest flat on the car floor, a booster seat is no longer needed.
Safety Tip: Children younger than 13 years old are safest in the back seat.