• North Carolina child car seat regulations.sleeping in a car image by Renata Osinska from Fotolia.com
  
  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, motor vehicle accidents are the number one cause of death among children ages 3 to 6 and 8 to 14. Although there are many causes of car crashes, properly fitted child safety equipment, or the lack of it, often determines the fatality of the situation. North Carolina, like most states, has its own laws on child passenger safety that parents, guardians and car owners must know and understand to ensure that children are safe inside the car even in the event of a car crash.
  
  

Car Seats

• North Carolina law states that all children under 8 years of age and not more than 80 pounds are required to use a child-restraint device. The Buckle Up NC website specifies that the device must meet the federal requirements for safety and must be suitable for the child's age and weight according to factory standards. For children between 40 and 80 pounds, parents or guardians can use belt-positioning booster seats. However, it is recommended that children still use the child restraint until they have outgrown it. Placing them in booster seats that are not suitable for their size can be dangerous. The law does not specify any particular make or brand of child car seats but requires that they fit and stay locked in the car's safest position and have an adjustable harness that can secure the child in place. Parents must also be careful when using old or used car restraints, because they may be unsafe.
  
  

Positioning

• The child's car seat must be installed in the back seat of the car if the child is under 5 years of age, weighs less than 40 pounds and there is a passenger-side airbag in the front seat. However, if the car seat is designed to be used with airbags, it can be installed in the front seat. Generally, children under 1 year of age and fewer than 20 pounds must always face the rear. If the child is still under a year old but reaches the maximum weight allowed for a rear-facing infant seat, he or she can be transferred to a convertible seat, still facing the rear, until turning 1 year of age.
  
  

Seatbelts

• According to Buckle Up NC, once children are 8 years old or weigh at least 80 pounds, they can go from using a booster seat to using a seatbelt. At this age, children are estimated to be at least 4 feet 9 inches in height and are tall enough for the lap and shoulder belts to secure them properly. The lap belt must fit across the hips and touch the upper thighs. The shoulder belt must fit over the collarbone and the chest and not the neck. It is illegal (and unsafe) to use a seatbelt that is not properly fitted on a child; it could cause serious injuries or death in a car crash.