Child safety should always be at the forefront of any parent’s mind. Virginia’s passenger safety law states that all children under the age of 8 must be properly secured in a child restraint device when traveling in a motor vehicle. Virginia law is based entirely on age, according to Drive Smart Virginia. Virginia Farm Bureau was one of six Virginia insurance companies that founded that organization in 1995.

Virginia’s Child Passenger Safety Program focuses on promoting proper safety seat use for children until they transition to the vehicle safety belt. It is important to pick a safety seat that fits your vehicle well and works well with your child’s age and size. To maximize safety, keep your child in a car seat for as long as possible according to the seat manufacturer’s height and weight requirements.

Infants should ride in a rear-facing seat until they are at least 1 year old and at least 20 pounds. The longer the child can rear-face, the better, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Rear-facing child restraint devices must be placed in the back seat of a vehicle. In the event the vehicle does not have a back seat, the child seat may be placed in the front passenger seat only if:

1. the vehicle is not equipped with a passenger side airbag; or
2. the passenger side airbag has been deflated.

Once the child has outgrown the rear-facing recommendations by weight, height or age, use a forward-facing seat with a harness and tether until he or she reaches the top height or weight limit allowed by the car-seat manufacturer. Once the child outgrows the forward-facing car seat with a harness, he or she should ride in a booster seat in the back seat.

For more information on child safety seats, visit SaferCar.gov. To find a location that performs child seat checks near you, visit SafetySeatVa.org.