Child Passenger Safety Program

The Child Passenger Safety Program has free classes, car seat installation assistance and safety seat inspections to reduce injuries and deaths in children riding in vehicles. We serve low-income, underserved or non-English speaking families.

Because of our work, more than 1200 Humboldt County babies and children in vehicles are safer. Car seats and boosters save lives - Buckle up!
The 4 stages of passenger safety for children are:
  1. Rear-facing (convertible) car seat with harness straps from birth to 30-35 pounds
  2. Forward-facing (convertible) car seat with harness straps from 30-35 pounds to 40 pounds
  3. Booster seat from 40 pounds to about 80 pounds, 4 feet, 9 inches tall, and 8-10 years old
  4. Seatbelt
Using Car Seats
Each year, more children die from injuries received in vehicle crashes than all childhood diseases combined. The state of California Motor Vehicle Code 27360 requires that children under the age of 8 years old, riding in most motor vehicles, be properly restrained in a federally approved, age-appropriate child passenger safety seat. This includes booster seats for children not tall enough for seat belts to protect them.

In Humboldt County, more than 90 percent of car seats are not used correctly. The main mistakes are not having the car seat installed tightly enough and not having the harness straps adjusted correctly.

A family only needs to buy one car seat and one booster seat for a typical child from birth to 10 years old.

Need information on car seats, booster seats, airbags, or airline travel with children? To learn about laws, best practices and more information, visit the following resources: