• Child car seat laws should be considered minimum standards for safety.child in a carseat image by Renata Osinska from Fotolia.com
  
  The Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles urges parents and caregivers to use child restraint laws as minimum standards. Safety standards recommended by experts differ from what the state considers “practical, enforceable, and will be tolerated by the general public.” According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for children ages 3 to 14. In 2009, eight children between the ages of 0 and 14 were killed and 1,508 children were injured in motor vehicle accidents in Nebraska.
  
  

Restraint Law

• Nebraska law says that any person who drives a motor vehicle which has or is required to have seat belts shall ensure that all child passengers up to age six use a child restraint system. The system must meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213 as developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Drivers must also assure that the restraint system is properly installed.
  
  The NHTSA, which Nebraska laws consider standard, requires infants to be in rear-facing car seats installed in the back seat until the child is at least 12 months and 20 pounds. The child should reach both numbers before progressing to forward-facing seats.
  
  Children heavier than 20 pounds and older than 12 months can ride in a forward-facing restraint seat in the back of the vehicle until they are about age 4 and weigh 40 pounds.
  
  Children older than 4 and weighing 40 pounds can move to a belt-positioning booster seat. Nebraska law only requires a booster seat for children up to age 6.
  
  Nebraska law requires all passengers between the ages of 6 and 18 use a seat belt.
  
  

Exemptions

• Taxicabs, mopeds, motorcycles and motor vehicles from 1963 or earlier that are not equipped with seat belts are exempt.
  
  Drivers of authorized emergency vehicles are not subject to the child-restraint requirements when on duty. Vehicles in a parade or exhibition are also exempt.
  
  Restraint laws are waived if a physician determines it would be harmful for a child to use required car seats because of the child’s weight, physical condition or other medical reasons.
  
  

Expert Recommendations

• All car seats on the market pass strict government safety standards. Choose one that fits your vehicle and your child the best, and make sure it is properly installed. The Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles states that 89 percent of car seats inspected by technicians were incorrectly installed. See Resources for car-seat inspection stations in Nebraska.