Child Passenger Safety

We want our children to be as safe as possible while we're driving! That means making sure our precious cargo is secured properly in the right car seat, booster seat or seat belt, appropriate for their age, size and maturity level.

Minnesota's updated Minnesota Child Passenger Safety Law went into effect August 1st, 2024. The updated law is based on best practice recommendations that encourage caregivers and parents to get the full use out of your car seat by maxing it out in either the height limit or the weight limit, whichever your child reaches first. It's the safest thing you can do!

Be excited about other milestones in a child's life, but don't be in a hurry to rush them through the different stages of car seats and booster seats.

• The new law requires that you keep your child rear-facing as long as possible, at least until age two. Rear-facing is the safest position, letting us better protect the child's head, neck and spine.
  
  
• Once your child has outgrown their rear-facing car seat, and they are at least age two, they can ride in a forward-facing car seat with an internal 5-point harness. They should continue to ride in the forward-facing car seat until they are at least age four AND have outgrown the seat by the height or weight limit, according to the car seat manufacturer.
  
  
• Children need to ride in a booster seat until at least age nine or until they've outgrown the booster seat AND they can pass the 5-Step Test. When a child can do ALL 5 steps, they are ready to ride with the lap and shoulder belt on the vehicle seat!
  
  
• Children under the age of 13 must sit in a back seat of the vehicle, if possible.
  
  
• Every driver who transports a child under the age of 18 years in a motor vehicle, is required to have the child restrained in a car seat or seat belt.

C.A.R.S. is transitioning to B.E.S.T. - Here's what you need to know!

The training curriculum C.A.R.S. (Child and Restraint Systems) is transitioning to B.E.S.T. (Basic Education for Safe Travel). The new hybrid education and training will streamline processes and enhance accessibility to this required education statewide. Additionally, prospective attendees will find it more convenient to locate B.E.S.T. facilitators nearby, optimizing time for practical demonstrations in their vehicles with hands-on learning experiences.

The new curriculum B.E.S.T. ensures the curriculum remains up to date by incorporating the online Car Seat Basics, an introductory e-learning course for parents and caregivers and people who transport children, which is a program maintained by the National Safety Council.

Learn More!

We hosted Live Virtual Trainings on Monday, June 24th and Wednesday, July 10th, where we walked through the process and answered questions. Find the recordings below with the Q&A from each webinar, along with the slides for more information.

• B.E.S.T. Presentation from Live Virtual Trainings
• Basic Education for Safe Travel FAQs