Infants & childreN
Minnesota Child Passenger Safety Law
Minnesota’s updated Minnesota Child Passenger Safety Law went into effect on August 1, 2024. This law reflects best practice recommendations to ensure children are safely secured in their car seats or booster seats for as long as possible, using either the height limit or weight limit—whichever is reached first.
While it’s exciting to celebrate milestones in your child’s life, it’s important not to rush them through the various stages of car seats and booster seats. Here are the key points of the updated law:
- Rear-Facing: Keep your child rear-facing for as long as possible, at least until age two, and until they have outgrown their car seat by weight or height according to the car seat manufacturer. Rear-facing is the safest position, providing optimal protection for your child’s head, neck, and spine.
- Forward-Facing: Once your child has outgrown their rear-facing car seat and is at least two years old, they can transition to a forward-facing car seat with an internal 5-point harness. They should remain in this seat until at least age four and until they have outgrown it by height or weight, as specified by the car seat manufacturer.
- Booster Seat: Children must use a booster seat until at least age nine or until they have outgrown the booster seat by weight or height according to the child restraint manufacturer and can pass the 5-Step Test. Once a child meets all five criteria, they are ready to use the vehicle’s lap and shoulder belt.
- Back Seat Requirement: Children under the age of 13 must sit in the back seat whenever possible for added safety.
- Restraint Requirement: Every driver transporting a child under 18 years old in a motor vehicle must ensure the child is properly restrained in a car seat, booster seat, or seat belt.
Child Passenger Safety Fact Sheets Available in Multiple Languages
These fact sheets provide important guidelines consistent with Minnesota’s updated child passenger safety laws, which align with national best practices. For additional languages, Safe Kids offers a Car Seat Checklist including English, Español (Spanish), Soomaali (Somali), Hmoob (Hmong), عربي (Arabic), 한국어 (Korean), پښتو (Pashto), دری (Dari), Français (French), Deutsch (German), Kreyòl, Ayisyen (Haitian Creole), Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese), Tagalog, 中文 (Chinese).
Pocket Card & Visor Card for Law Enforcement
Our Pocket Card and Visor Card are valuable tools designed to assist law enforcement officers during traffic stops. These cards provide quick, easy-to-reference information about car seat safety laws and best practices.
Both cards serve to support officers in educating the public, ensuring the safety of young passengers, and promoting proper car seat or booster seat use. These resources are designed to be used during traffic stops to offer immediate guidance and connect families with local resources for proper car seat installation.
Pocket Card: A compact, easily accessible reference that officers can carry with them. It includes key information on car seat types and legal requirements. Officers can hand out the pocket card to the public during a traffic stop to provide immediate guidance and encourage safe car seat practices.
Visor Card: Meant to be displayed in the vehicle, the visor card offers a visual guide for officers during stops, helping them quickly assess the child passenger safety status in a vehicle.
Disclaimer:
The information and materials found on this website are intended for reference and education. To ensure all passengers are using vehicle restraint systems correctly, please consult with a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician, as well as your vehicle’s owner’s manual and your child restraint owner’s manual.