Police promote seatbelt, child safety seat laws
Published 10:43 am Monday, August 24, 2026
Local law enforcement agencies are joining a national push to educate folks about safety belts and child seat laws, with the goal of keeping everyone safe in a vehicle.
The vehicle safety initiative runs from Monday, Aug. 24, through Sunday, Sept. 6. The Portland Police Bureau and other departments across Oregon will use federally funded enforcement hours to educate the public about the importance of using seatbelts and following child seat laws enacted in 2017.
Seatbelts — Of the 25,420 passenger vehicle occupants killed in the United States in 2022, nearly half of those victims were not buckled.
Child Safety
Child Passenger Safety Week is Sept. 20-26. Everyone who drives children should regularly check their car seats to make sure they fit their child’s age and size. Even experienced parents/guardians who think they are all set should use this week to double-check.
The Portland Police Bureau, in partnership with OHSU, created a video on how to properly secure kids while they are riding in vehicles: youtu.be/JckrGbWelDo?si=dDp-jUI_ksazBQ0m
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading nationwide cause of death for kids ages one through 12 years old. In 2023, 1,972 children under 12 were injured in Oregon traffic crashes (11% of those incidents were reported not using a child restraint system). Experts say car seats may increase crash survival by 71% for infants under one year old and 59% for toddlers ages one to four.
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Booster seats also reduce the chance of nonfatal injury among four- to eight-year-olds by 45% compared with seatbelts alone.
In 2017, Oregon passed a law requiring children to ride in a rear-facing safety seat until they are at least two years old. Children over that age must continue to be in a car seat with a harness or in a booster until they reach age eight or 4 feet 9 inches tall. The goal of that law was to better protect kids’ heads, necks and spines during car crashes. The rear-facing seat spreads crash forces evenly across the seat and the child’s body while also limiting forward and sideways head motion.
If you need help selecting or installing child car seats, you can find resources/support online: nhtsa.gov/vehicle-safety/car-seats-and-booster-seats#inspection-inspection
