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SACRAMENTO - California law already required all children under 12 months old to be secured in rear facing car seats, but under new legislation sponsored by Assembly member Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens), the rear facing child seat requirement would be extended until age two.
“All the data I’ve seen is that it is safer to have that child in the rear facing position as long as possible,” said Bryan Crawley of BuckledBaby.com.
His business sends certified safety experts to meet new parents who are learning the proper use of car seats.
“If you get into an impact, the child’s body contorts differently if its in the rear facing position versus the forward facing position,” said Crawley.
A 2007 study by the journal Injury Prevention found children younger than two are 75-percent less likely to die or be severely injured if buckled into a rear facing car seat.
Assembly Bill 53 passed by a 37-7 vote in the Senate on Wednesday and is now in the hands of Governor Brown.