state police officer doesn't know car seat law?

mully4235

Member
At my sons little league game the other day one of the moms noticed that my 21 mth old was still RF. She said her 8 mth old was FF! I mentioned that the minimum was 1 year old and 20lbs, she argued and said 20 lbs only and that she was over 20lbs. I said the new recommendation was actually to RF until at least 2 it's just safer, and that we still had our 8 1/2 year old in a booster seat. She said her 7 1/2 was too so I said, yeah, it's the law. She started arguing with me that there was no law. She was talking to a Michigan State police officer who told her there was no booster law! I went right on the government webpage when I got home and proved (to myself) that there was indeed a law for 8 years old/ 4'9. How could a police officer not know the law?!?
I was very nice and I didn't argue with her, just told her I wouldn't trust what he said. I'll be seeing her again tomorrow and I do have some printed info for her if she mentions car seats again. I don't want to seem too crazy/pushy, but it bothers me that that little baby is FF! Do I just let this go?
 
ADS

Brigala

CPST Instructor
I would hand her the print-out of the law and just tell her that you wouldn't want her to get a ticket just because she spoke to a mis-informed state trooper.
I would also include a copy of the NHTSA handout so she can see for herself what the best practices are (and, by the way, the federal guidelines are not to RF to age two, but to RF to the limits of the car seat, up to age four).
http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/Traffic Injury Control/Articles/Associated Files/4StepsFlyer.pdf
 

Qarin

New member
What I find is that using big words and appealing not to authority ("the minimum is 1 and 20") but to science/biology is most effective. "The thing is, spinal development is not dependent on infant weight gain, and the safety of rearfacing is protecting an immature spine so as to prevent internal decapitation. Rear-facing is safer for everyone, but especially for those whose spine hasn't ossified which can't be expected before age 2, and usually later."
 

lourdes

Well-known member
mully4235 said:
At my sons little league game the other day one of the moms noticed that my 21 mth old was still RF. She said her 8 mth old was FF! I mentioned that the minimum was 1 year old and 20lbs, she argued and said 20 lbs only and that she was over 20lbs. I said the new recommendation was actually to RF until at least 2 it's just safer, and that we still had our 8 1/2 year old in a booster seat. She said her 7 1/2 was too so I said, yeah, it's the law. She started arguing with me that there was no law. She was talking to a Michigan State police officer who told her there was no booster law! I went right on the government webpage when I got home and proved (to myself) that there was indeed a law for 8 years old/ 4'9. How could a police officer not know the law?!?
I was very nice and I didn't argue with her, just told her I wouldn't trust what he said. I'll be seeing her again tomorrow and I do have some printed info for her if she mentions car seats again. I don't want to seem too crazy/pushy, but it bothers me that that little baby is FF! Do I just let this go?

I wont wait for her to ask if I was you, you tell her that you were thinking of what she said and that you went online and found some helpful information for her, just for the safety of the baby
 

mully4235

Member
Thanks!

Oh, is it an actual LAW with the 1 and 20 or is is just an old guideline? All I could find on the michigan website was this:
"Michigan's child passenger safety law requires:

Children younger than age 4 to ride in a car seat in the rear seat if the vehicle has a rear seat. If all available rear seats are occupied by children under 4, then a child under 4 may ride in a car seat in the front seat. A child in a rear-facing car seat may only ride in the front seat if the airbag is turned off.

Children to be properly buckled in a car seat or booster seat until they are 8 years old or 4-feet-9-inches tall. Children must ride in a seat until they reach the age requirement or the height requirement, whichever comes first."
 
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kam1011

New member
Lol your state trooper sounds like mine - I gave a state-trooper-dad one of my britax seats to use *in the police car* for his 8 month old and he stuck him in there FF with the straps on the highest setting.:doh:
 

KaiLing

New member
Here (in NY) 1 yr and 20 lbs isn't written into the law, but using US approved car seats correctly is (like "buckled properly"), and there's no seat that allows FF before 1 / 20, so even though you don't see it in the law, you could make an argument that someone could get a ticket for that.

I'd just point to the sticker on the side, though, if possible.
 

Kat_Momof3

New member
he's probably just not up to date on the newest laws... I'd tell her that you're not trying to rehash your disagreement, but that you wanted to give her that so she'd have the most up to date information.
 

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants
Exactly. 1/20 is not part of the law, but the law requires adherence to manufacturers' minimums. All seats except the Graco ComfortSport* require a 1 year minimum for forward-facing.

* Older, but non-expired, ComfortSports did not have an age minimum. I do not know if the manual has been updated
 

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