ALWAYS read both the vehicle owner's manual and the car seat instructions carefully when deciding which car seat to use and how to properly install it.

Every year hundreds of children are hurt or killed because they do not put on a seat belt or they were not strapped in properly. The law provides a penalty for not restraining children under six years of age or under sixty pounds using a child passenger restraint system that meets applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards. (Vehicle Code Section 27360)

You can protect yourself, your family and your friends by following these safety tips:

Infants (Under 20 pounds / Less than 1 year old)

• Use a Rear-Facing Infant Seat. Infant seats are designed for babies from birth until at least 20 pounds and one year of age. 
• The child seat must be in the back seat of the vehicle. NEVER place an infant in a rear-facing child safety seat in the front seat of a vehicle with a passenger-side air bag. The force of the deploying air bag will hit the seat (because of its close proximity to the dashboard) and can seriously injure or kill an infant. REMEMBER: All infant seats must be rear-facing, so the only safe place to install it is in the back seat.
• Never place infant car seats in the front of a car with air bags. In a crash, the air bag can hurt or kill a baby.
• Never hold a baby on your lap in a car. The baby will not be protected in a crash.

Young Children (Under 40 pounds / At least 1 year old)

• Convertible Safety Seats: These seats convert from rear-facing for infants to forward-facing for toddlers weighing at least 20 pounds. Children should remain in a forward-facing seat from 20 pounds until they reach approximately 40 pounds and four years of age.

Older Children (Approximately 40-80 pounds)

• Booster Seats: These seats are used as a transition to safety belts by older kids who have clearly outgrown their convertible seat and are not quite ready for the vehicle belt system.
• Children should ride in a booster seat until the car's lap and shoulder belts fit correctly (at least until 40 pounds). Then use a belt-positioning booster seat that helps the adult lap and should belt fit better. A belt-positioning booster seat is preferred for children between 40-80 pounds. It is used with the adult lap and shoulder belt.
• The lap belt must fit low and snug under the hips. The shoulder belt must not cross the child's neck or face.
• The safest place for any child under the age of 12 is in the back seat of a vehicle.

For additional information on Child Seat Belt Safety, go to:
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/childps/
  
http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/childpas.htm