Florida lawmakers consider requiring child restraints in vehicles for children up to 7 years old

Florida attorneys are considering a series of changes to bring state car seat requirements more in line with national guidelines.

According to Centers for the Control and Prevention of Disasters.

Currently, children in Florida must travel in car seats until age 5. The new law before the Legislative Assembly would require children to be subjected to some form of restraint until the age of 7, which goes hand in hand with the national guidelines.

Child safety experts recommend children stay in a booster seat until an adult seat belt is properly fitted or when children reach at least 4′9″ – which happens on average between 8 and 12 years old.

Under the new law, guidelines for a child’s height or weight would be removed, and age would be the only determining factor.

The bill will also give parents more flexibility in deciding what type of car or booster seat is right for their child, lawyers say.

The law would require children 2 years or younger to sit in a rear-facing car seat, and children 3 to 4 years old could sit in a rear-facing or forward-facing restraint. the front.

News4JAX spoke to former police officer James Brown, of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, who said it’s not a bad idea to update the way children are restrained in cars.

“Any time a car is traveling at any speed, a sudden stop of that car – whether it’s an accident or braking – that child could be propelled to the speed that this car was traveling at just before that sudden stop, which means sudden injury or even death,” Brown said.

He recommends that parents go even beyond national and state guidelines to ensure their child is safe in the car.

“Take extra time to make sure your kids are restrained in the seat and go even further,” he said. “Make sure you follow the manufacturer’s recommendations on how to secure this seat in a vehicle.”

The Senate Transportation Committee will discuss the bill on Tuesday. A version is also making its way to the House.