Child restraints — Colorado Permit Test

Colorado child passenger protection law requires children to be properly fastened into an appropriate child restraint system, and where no parent is in the vehicle it is the driver’s responsibility to see that they are.

A belt built for an adult crosses a small child at the neck. The right seat spreads the force across bone instead, and the driver is the one who has to check.

If a parent is not in the motor vehicle, it is the driver’s responsibility to ensure that each child is properly fastened into one of the following:

A child less than 2 years old and weighing less than 40 pounds must be secured in the rear seat in a rear-facing child restraint system.

A baby’s neck cannot hold its head in a crash. Facing the rear spreads the force across the whole back instead of snapping the head forward.

must be properly secured in the rear seat of the vehicle in a rear-facing child restraint system.

A child 2 years of age but less than 4 and weighing at least 20 pounds must be secured in a rear-facing or forward-facing child restraint system in the rear seat where one is available.

A toddler is still too small for the belt geometry of a car seat. The rear of the car is also the part furthest from most crashes.

Children 2 years of age, but less than 4 years of age and weighing at least 20 pounds: must be properly secured in a rear-facing or forward-facing child restraint system in the rear seat of a vehicle if one is available

A child 4 years of age or older but less than 9 and weighing at least 40 pounds must be secured in a child restraint system or booster seat in the rear seat where one is available.

A booster lifts a child so the adult belt crosses the hip and the shoulder rather than the belly and the throat. That is the whole job of it.

must be properly secured in a child restraint system or booster seat in the rear seat of a vehicle

A child between 9 and 18 years old must be properly restrained in a seat belt or child restraint system according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

By nine most children fit an adult belt, but only if it is worn the way the maker intended. Tucked behind the arm it does nothing.

must be properly restrained in a seat belt or child restraint system according to the manufacturer’s instructions

Who must see that a child is properly restrained when no parent is in the car?

The driver of the vehicle. A belt built for an adult crosses a small child at the neck. The right seat spreads the force across bone instead, and the driver is the one who has to check. Colorado Driver Handbook, p.3: “If a parent is not in the motor vehicle, it is the driver’s responsibility to ensure that each child is properly fastened into one of the following:”