National Child Passenger Safety Week September 20 to September 27 NA26057cm

Los Angeles: During Child Passenger Safety Week, the Los Angeles Police Department encourages all parents and caregivers to make sure their children are riding safely by using the correct car seats, booster seats and properly fitted seat belts. This annual campaign takes place from September 20-27 and aims to raise awareness about the importance of car seat safety and proper installation.

The Los Angeles Police Department has four traffic divisions who are staffed with certified child passenger safety technicians available to check car seat installations at no cost. The technicians will teach parents and caregivers how to install the car seat correctly, as well as educate them on the appropriate seat based on the child’s age and size.

Central Traffic Division
Address: 251 E. 6th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90014
Telephone: 213-833-3745
Inspections: Call to arrange an inspection

South Traffic Division
Address: 4125 S. Crenshaw Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90008
Telephone: 323-421-2577
Inspections: Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., by appointment

Valley Traffic Division
Address: 7870 Nollan Place, Panorama City, CA 91402
Telephone: 818-644-8143
Inspections: Thursday, by appointments only

West Traffic Division
Address: 4849 Venice Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90019
Telephone: 213-473-0215
Inspections: Wednesday from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., appointments recommended

“When it comes to protecting our youngest passengers, there is no room for guesswork,” Los Angeles Police Department, Captain Yvonne Ortiz, said. “Child Passenger Safety Week is a good reminder of how critical it is to choose the right car seat and ensure it is installed properly.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), nearly half of car seats (46%) are misused. Properly installed car seats have been shown to reduce fatal injury crashes by 71% for infants under a year old and by 54% for toddlers ages 1 through 4.

Current California law requires all children under 2 years old to ride in a rear-facing car seat, unless the child is 40 or more pounds or is 40 or more inches tall. Once a child reaches these milestones, all children under the age of 8 years old are still required to be secured in a car seat or booster seat, in the back seat. Children 8 and older, or who are at least 4 feet 9 inches tall, may be secured by a booster seat, but at a minimum must be secured by a safety belt.

As of January 1, 2027, AB 435 requires children ages 8 to 16 years old to pass all steps of the “Five-Step Test” before they can safely use a seat belt without a booster seat. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to keep children in the proper rear or forward-facing seat as long as possible and use the Five-Step Test as a guide, before it becomes law in 2027, to determine if their child is big enough to safely use a seat belt without a booster seat.

Visit www.gosafelyca.org for more traffic safety information. Funding for this program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.