Children travelling in motor vehicles are highly vulnerable, and most injuries and fatalities involving children who are in collisions are due to failure on the part of the driver to ensure that they are properly restrained. The laws covering child seat safety in Oregon are in place to protect your children, so it is just common sense to learn them and obey them.
Summary of Oregon’s child seat safety laws
The laws regarding child seat safety in Oregon can be summarized as follows:
Children under the age of one must be paced in a rear-facing child safety seat, no matter what they weigh.
Children weighing 40 pounds or under must be secured using a child safety system that meets the standards laid out by the Department of Transportation (ORS 815.055).
Children weighing over 40 pounds, but who are not at least 57 inches tall must use a booster in conjunction with the car’s safety belt system. The lap belt must be secured across the thighs, and the shoulder belt over the collarbone. The booster seat must meet the standards laid out in (ORS 815.055).
Children who are taller than 57 inches do not have to use a booster seat. They can be secured using the vehicle’s safety belt system.
Regardless of height or weight, children eight years or older do not have to use a child safety system. They must, however, be secured using the vehicle’s lap and shoulder belt system.
Penalties
Failure to comply with the child seat safety laws in Oregon is punishable by a fine of $110.
Remember that safety seats protect your child from the very real risk of serious injury or even death if you should be in a collision.
