Michigan is set to enhance its child car seat regulations starting April 2, with revisions to increase safety for young passengers. As per the latest updates shared by several local news outlets, the new guidelines will require children to ride in rear-facing car seats until they are at least 2 years old or surpass the height or weight limits specified by the car seat manufacturer, which is a step up from the state's previous stipulation for children under 1, WZZM 13 reports.
According to FOX 2 Detroit, once children outgrow their rear-facing car seats, they are to transition to forward-facing car seats with an internal harness until they are a minimum of 5 years old or exceed the car seat maker's weight or height limits. Moreover, the booster seat requirements will remain unchanged, mandating their use for children under 8 years old and less than 4 feet, 9 inches tall.
Additionally, the booster seat laws are unaltered, with children expected to use a belt-positioning booster seat until they reach either 4 feet, 9 inches in height or 8 years of age. "We don't want to rush through those ages and stages of car seats," stated Holly Alway, injury prevention coordinator at Trinity Health Muskegon, "We want to make sure we max each stage out, because as you move forward from rear-facing to forward-facing to booster, you lose degrees of protection. So, don't rush to get to the booster seat. Take your time. Let your kid actually outgrow the car seat that they're in," Alway stated, per WZZM 13.
Under the new rule, children aged four and younger are required to ride in the back seat of a vehicle unless no back seat is present or children occupy it within the same age group. When a child must ride in the front seat, the airbag must be deactivated if they are in a rear-facing car seat. As reported by MyMichigan Health, keeping children younger than 13 in the rear seat is also encouraged if the vehicle comes equipped with one.
