Did You Know…
- Car crashes are the leading cause of unintentional death for children in NC.
- In 2022, 71 children died as result of motor vehicle crashes.
- 9 out of 10 children are improperly restrained in a vehicle.
- Child safety seats reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71% for infants and by 54% for toddlers.
- All children under the age of 16, are to ride in a properly worn seat belt or in an appropriately installed car seat.
Top Safety Tips
-
Keep infants in the back seat, in rear-facing child safety seats, as long as possible up to the height or weight limit of the child safety seat.
-
When children outgrow their rear-facing seats they should ride in a forward-facing car seat, in the back seat, until they reach the upper weight or height limit of that seat.
-
Once children outgrow their forward-facing car seat, they should ride in a booster seat, in the back seat, until the vehicle seat belts fit properly. Seat belts fit properly when the lap belt lays across the upper thighs and the shoulder belt fits across the chest.
-
When children outgrow their booster seat, they can use the vehicle seat belt in the back seat, if it fits properly.
Child Passenger Safety Diversion Program
The North Carolina (NC) Child Passenger Safety (CPS) Diversion Program combines enforcement and education to identify individuals who are incorrectly transporting their children and to teach them how to keep everyone safe when riding in a vehicle. Through this program, an individual cited for a violation of the NC CPS law can have their citation dismissed if they follow the steps of the program. Once the individual has successfully completed the program, they may submit the appropriate court form to their district attorney, lawyer, or present it on their assigned court date to have the citation dismissed. Providing education to cited individuals promotes proper use, reduces recidivism, and helps streamline the county court system. Dismissal of the CPS citation is at the full discretion of the county district attorney, and participation in the diversion program does not guarantee dismissal.
Child Passenger Safety Diversion
Child Passenger Safety Resources
This page was last modified on 04/13/2026