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Be Sure to Place Your Child Car Safety Seat or Booster Seat in the Appropriate Location in Your Vehicle

Posted 09-26-18.

(PLEASE NOTE: The Sevierville Police Department is participating in the National Child Passenger Safety Week, which takes place from September 23-29. As part of the event, SPD will conduct a child car seat check-up event on National Seat Check Saturday, September 29. Agencies across the nation will be holding child car seat events on that day. The SPD event will be at the Police Department (300 Gary Wade Blvd.) in the Municipal Complex from 10AM-2PM.)

Placing a car seat or booster seat in an appropriate location in the vehicle is extremely important for the safety of your child.

For all children under the age of 13, the back seat is the safest place for them to ride. They are better protected from head-on collisions, which constitute about 60 percent of all crashes. In addition, they are not at risk for being injured by the passenger air bag, which is designed for adult protection in conjunction with a seat belt.

Familiarize yourself with the location of the air bags in your vehicle, with the help of your vehicle owner’s manual. A rear-facing car seat should NEVER be placed in front of an active air bag.

When considering the best location for your child’s car seat, you should also consider the needs of other passengers who ride in the vehicle and the seating position that will provide an optimal installation for your child’s car seat. The middle seat in the back is often referred to as the ‘best’ seat for car seats because of the protection from side impact crashes, but any back seat position is a preferred location to install car seats.

Also consider the needs of your family; for example, if you often park on a busy street, place your child’s car seat on the curb side as opposed to the street side for optimal protection for you and your child when entering and exiting the vehicle.

For more child car safety seat tips and advice, visit safekids.org. For more information on Tennessee's Child Restraint laws, refer to T.C.A. 55-9-602.

Contact Us

Bob Stahlke, Public Information Officer

300 Gary Wade Blvd.
Sevierville, TN 37864-5500
Phone: 865.453.5506