If you get behind the wheel and have a child in the car with you, you need to do everything in your power to keep the child safe. This includes following all seatbelts and car seat laws in Arizona. Unfortunately, most government entities do not do a great job of educating parents and guardians on the specifics related to car seats. Here, our Phoenix auto accident lawyers briefly go over Arizona car seat laws so you know what it takes to keep your child safe and remain legal on the roadway.
What AZ Law Says About Car Seats
When we look at Section 28-907 of Arizona law, we can see that child car seats are required and that these requirements depend on the age of the child inside the vehicle. In some circumstances, the height of the child can override the age requirements.
CHILDREN FIVE YEARS OF AGE AND YOUNGER
Any child under the age of five in Arizona is required to be properly restrained in a child safety seat. The law specifically says that a child must be in a rear-facing child restraint system that is secured properly to the vehicle’s seat. Under no circumstances can a child safety seat be installed facing forward when a child is under the age of five, and the seat cannot be installed in the front seat of the vehicle or in front of active airbags.
The state of Arizona did not specifically list requirements for rear-facing car seats, but the general consensus is that a child will need to remain in a rear-facing car seat until they are at least one year old and weigh 20 pounds.
ARIZONA CHILD BOOSTER SEAT LAWS
In Arizona, any child between the ages of five and seven is required to sit in a booster seat. If a child has reached the height of four feet nine inches tall but are still in this age range, then they are allowed to use a regular vehicle seat and a normal vehicle seat belt. After a child has reached the age of 8, they will not have to use a booster seat, regardless of their height.
CHILDREN IN THE FRONT SEAT
How old do you have to be to sit in the front seat? The law in Arizona does not say specifically whether or not a child can sit in the front seat after they have reached the age of eight. Most vehicle manufacturers do place warnings that say that children should ride in the rear of the vehicle until they are 13 years of age.
Why This is So Important
When we look at data available from the Arizona Department of Transportation, we can see that when car accidents occurred and there were children less than five years of age in a vehicle, the children who were properly using safety devices fared much better than those who were not properly restrained. In this state, there were 11,055 total accidents involving children who were restrained in the appropriate safety devices. Out of these incidents, more than 91% of the children sustained no injury at all.
However, when we look at data pertaining to the children who were not properly restrained when an accident occurred, only around 63% of them sustained no injury at all. The children under five who were not properly restrained were much more likely to sustain an injury.
For help with an auto accident give our Phoenix car accident law firm a call today. To learn more about car seat laws in AZ, visit our car accident blog.
The Phoenix car accident attorneys at Gerber Injury Law have more than 22 years of experience successfully representing clients during auto accident claims. Contact us today to discuss your unique car accident claim. Request a free consultation from a lawyer directly at 623-486-8300.
