Florida lawmakers are considering a series of changes to bring state car seat requirements more in line with national guidelines.
Car seats reduce the risk of injury in a crash by 71% to 82% for children compared to just using a seatbelt, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Right now, children in Florida need to ride in car seats until the age of 5. The new law under consideration in the Legislature would require children to be in some form of restraint until they’re 7 years old, which goes along with the national guidelines.
Child safety experts recommend children stay in a booster seat until an adult seat belt fits correctly or when children reach at least 4′9″ -- which on average happens between ages 8 to 12.
In the new law, guidelines regarding how tall the child is, or how much they weigh would be removed, and age would be the only determining factor.
This proposed law will also give parents more flexibility to decide what type of car seat or booster is right for their child, according to lawmakers.
The law would make it so children 2 or younger would need to ride in a rear-facing car seat, and children 3 to 4 could ride in a rear, or front-facing restraint.
News4JAX sat down with former police officer James Brown, with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, who said it’s not a bad idea to update how children are strapped into cars.
“Anytime a car is going whatever speed, a sudden stop of that car -- be it a crash or braking -- that child could be propelled at the speed that that car was traveling just before that abrupt stop, which means sudden injury or even death,” Brown said.
He recommends parents even go beyond national and state guidelines to make sure their child is safe in the car.
“Take extra time to make sure your children are restrained in the seat and go one step further,” he said. “Make sure that you’re following the manufacturer’s recommendations on how to secure that seat in a vehicle.”
The Senate transportation committee will discuss the bill on Tuesday. A version is also making its way through the House.