Pasadena Police Urge Car Seat Checks as Child Passenger Safety Week Opens Sunday

The Pasadena Police Department is asking parents and caregivers to make sure their children are riding in the peoper car seats, booster seats and correctly fitted seat belts during Child Passenger Safety Week, which the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has set for Sept. 20 through 26.

Pasadena families can have a seat checked at no cost. The city’s Public Health Department has grown its roster of certified child passenger safety technicians from zero to eight. NHTSA estimates that 46% of car seats and booster seats are misused.

“When it comes to protecting our youngest passengers, there is no room for guesswork,” Lt. Mathew Campeau said in the release. “Child Passenger Safety Week is a good reminder of how critical it is to choose the right car seat and ensure it is installed properly.”

California law requires a child under 2 to ride rear-facing unless the child weighs 40 or more pounds or is 40 or more inches tall, and children under 8 to ride in a car seat or booster seat in the back seat. Children 8 and older, or who are at least 4 feet 9 inches tall, may be secured by a booster seat but at a minimum must be secured by a safety belt.

On Jan. 1, 2027, Assembly Bill 435 added a five-step fit test for children 8 years of age or older but under 16. The department encourages parents and caregivers to use the test as a guide now and to keep children in the proper seat as long as possible.

NEED TO KNOW: Child Passenger Safety Week runs Sunday, Sept. 20, through Saturday, Sept. 26, ending with National Seat Check Saturday. Pasadena Public Health Department car seat checks are free, offered at community events and by appointment through its Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Program, 1845 N. Fair Oaks Ave. To schedule, call (800) 304-0015 or email mcah@cityofpasadena.net. For more, call Lt. Mathew Campeau at (626) 744-7159 or visit gosafelyca.org.