The most important thing you can do to protect your children in the car is to buckle them up properly. When used correctly, child safety seats greatly reduce your child’s risk of death and injury. However, about 91% of car seats used in Franklin County are installed incorrectly.

• All children 12 years and under should ride in the back seat.
• Infants should be in a rear-facing child safety seat until at least 20 pounds and 1 year old.
• Children over 1 year and between 20 and 40 pounds can be in forward-facing child seats.
• Children ages 4 to 8 (about 40 to 80 pounds) should be in a booster seat and held in with lap and shoulder belts every time they ride.
• Children over 8 years and 80 pounds usually fit correctly in lap and shoulder belts. When the child is sitting all the way back, the lap belt should fit across the child’s hips and the shoulder belt should cross the center of the shoulder.
• Do not let your child put the shoulder belt under their arm or behind their back.
• Read your child safety seat instruction manual and vehicle owner’s manual carefully for proper installation.
• Have the installation of your child’s safety seat checked by a certified child safety seat technician.
• Replace any child safety seat that has been in a crash.

Ohio's law requires all children to ride in a car seat until they are both 4 years of age and weigh at least 40 pounds. When child seats are used the right way, they are 71% effective in reducing the risk of death to children from a crash.

Columbus Public Health offers low cost convertible car seats and booster seats to families in Franklin County. If you are a resident of Franklin County and need a car seat, please contact us at:

Car Seat Hotline at 614-645-7748

To get a reduced cost car seat, you must attend a one-hour class that assists you in using your car seat correctly. The cost of the seat is based on family income.

Get more information about the Car Seat Program.

For More Information

www.safekidscentralohio.org 
The Safe Kids Central Ohio Coalition is a structured group of diverse individuals and organizations that have joined forces to prevent unintentional injuries to children from birth through age 14.  Activities and materials are available concerning bicycle safety, car seat safety, fire and burn safety, pedestrian safety and water safety.

www.safekids.org 
Safe Kids Worldwide is the only non-profit organization dedicated solely to the prevention of unintentional childhood injury — the number one killer of children ages 14 and under. 

www.NHTSA.gov 
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration provides information on car seat recalls, statistics related to death and injury in motor vehicle crashes, and information on how to report a defect with your child restraint.

www.cpsc.gov 
Consumer Product Safety keeps your family safe by checking product recalls and safety news from CPSC; Allows you to report an unsafe product; Provides a free service that allows you to sign up receive new recalls and safety information.

Related Programs and Services

Child Safety Injury Prevention Program