North Dakota Child Passenger Safety Law

• Children younger than 8 years of age are required to ride in a child restraint (car seat or booster seat). The restraint must be used correctly - following manufacturer's instructions.
• A correctly-used seat belt may be substituted for children younger than age 8 who are at least 4'9" tall.
• Children ages 8 through 17 must be properly secured in a seat belt or child restraint (car seat or booster seat).
• Children younger than 18 must be properly restrained regardless of their location in a vehicle.

Ensure Your Child is Safe and Properly Secured:

• Make sure you're using your car seat correctly. Find a car seat checkup event in your area to make sure you're using the correct seat for your child's age, size and development, it's installed correctly and your child is secured as per the car seat instructions.
• Register your car seat with the manufacturer in case of recalls. You can do this by sending in the paper form that comes with the car seat or online.
• Remember that the law provides a good baseline for car seat use, but there's more you can do. Learn the "best practices" for child passenger safety.

Install Your Car Seat Properly

• Read your car seat instructions and check your vehicle owner's manual.
• Make sure your car seat is not installed too loosely in the vehicle. Use the inch test to check for tightness. A correctly installed car seat should not move more than an inch, left to right and front to back.
• For forward-facing car seats, don't forget to use the tether strap.

Secure Your Child Correctly

• Check your car seat manual, and thread the harness through the correct slots for your child's size. (Kids grow fast, so be sure to check often!) Make sure the harness is not too loose. With your child securely buckled, you should not be able to pinch any excess slack in the harness. Do not put a child in a car seat with a bulky coat, as this creates more room between them and the harness. You can see how loose the harness is when putting a child in a car seat wearing a coat vs. without a coat.
• The function of the chest clip is to properly position the harness. Move the chest clip to armpit level to finish securing your child in the car seat.
• Don't use car seat accessories unless they came with the car seat. Accessories such as extra head supports, seat covers, harness covers, mirrors, hanging toys etc. may cause harm to a child in a crash as they have not been crash tested. They could also interfere with how the car seat may perform in a crash.

• Child Passenger Safety Best Practices for Buckling Up
• Car Seat Checkup Events
• How to Find the Right Car Seat