NEWS RELEASE
MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
**************************
The goal is zero fatalities and serious injuries on Michigan roads through the implementation of the safe system approach.
Since last week, 14 people died on Michigan roadways making a total of 108 this year. In addition, 88 more were seriously injured for a statewide total of 485 to date.
Compared to last year at this time, there are 20 fewer fatalities and 17 more serious injuries.
Numbers are provided by the Michigan State Police.
Revised child restraint requirements
The state of Michigan legally requires children under the age of eight or under four feet, nine inches tall to be secured in a booster seat or car seat. An infant traveling in a vehicle starts in a rear-facing car seat before moving into a forward-facing car seat. Eventually, the child progresses into a booster seat. Sometimes it is difficult to determine when to make the switch, especially if the child is bigger or smaller for their age.
The Michigan Vehicle Code was amended to help parents and caregivers know which child restraint system to use based on the child’s age or size. It also aligned Michigan law with recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics on child passenger safety. The goal is to keep children as safe as possible through each stage of development.
PA 21 of 2024 requires a driver transporting a child to properly secure that child in a child restraint system that meets federal standards. The child would have to be positioned in the child restraint system in a rear seat, if the vehicle has a rear seat and not all the rear seats are taken by children. A child in a rear-facing child restraint system could be placed in the front seat only if the front passenger air bag is deactivated. A child would have to be seated and positioned in a child restraint system as follows:
- Rear-facing: Children must be in a rear-facing car seat until they are at least two years old or have reached the height and weight limit set by the manufacturer.
- Forward-facing: When a child meets or surpasses the weight or height limits set by the car seat manufacturer, the child must be secured in a forward-facing car seat until they are at least five years old or have reached the height and weight limit set by the manufacturer.
- Booster: After reaching or surpassing the height or weight limits requirements for a forward-facing car seat, the child must then be placed in a belt-positioning child booster seat until they are at least eight years old or at least four feet, nine inches tall.
A child who is at least eight years old or at least four feet, nine inches tall, but who is under 13 years old, would have to be restrained with a properly adjusted and fastened safety belt. They would have to be positioned in a rear seat, if the vehicle has a rear seat and not all the rear seats are taken by children. They could be restrained in a belt-positioning child booster seat, as described above, until they reach the weight or height limit set by the seat’s manufacturer.
Current law requires a driver transporting a child under 16 who does not have to ride in a car seat or booster seat (i.e., they are at least four feet, nine inches tall and at least eight years old) to secure the child in a properly adjusted and fastened safety belt.
For information on child passenger safety recommendations, including seat check locations, visit the Office of Highway Safety Planning’s child passenger safety webpage: Child Passenger Safety.
Stay Safe Drive Smart
Our mission is to move Toward Zero Deaths on Michigan roads through the implementation of the Safe System Approach.
Learn more at www.Michigan.gov/ZeroDeaths.
**************************
