Child Restraint Occupancy Protection

Purpose of Child Restraint Course

For individuals with a traffic violation for failure to use child restraints – the course offers the offenders an alternative to paying the entire citation fee and receiving 3 points on their driver's license.
Child Restraint Course MAY BE COURT ORDERED

Goal of Child Restraint

To help drivers understand the importance of safely restraining young children while they are being transported, and to create an awareness of how to properly utilize the safety equipment in a vehicle as responsible adults.

Child Restraint Course Content

• Crash Dynamics – How seatbelts help occupants “ride down” a crash.
• Dispelling the myths and excuses about use and avoidance of seatbelts.
• Air Bags – how they work and how to ride in airbag equipped vehicles.
• Car safety seats for children – used versus new.
• Types of car seats and when to use each type.
• How to properly install car safety seats in vehicles.
• Understanding Florida's Child Restraint Law.
• Determine if car seats brought in by students are proper for their children.

Child Restraint Course Format

• Three (3) hour class conducted by a certified instructor.
• An interactive format including lecture, videos, and student interaction.
• Students are to bring in car seats for inspection, including recalls, cracks, missing pieces.

What Florida Law says about... Child Restraint Requirements

• All children under the age of 18 must be buckled up while riding in any car, pickup truck, or van on Florida's roads, no matter where they are sitting in the vehicle.
• Children through the age of 3 must be secured in a federally approved child-restraint seat.
• Children ages 4 through 5 must be secured by either a federally approved child-restraint seat or booster seat.
• Drivers are responsible for buckling up the child and keeping them restrained until trip ends.
• The cost to a violator will be a minimum of $60.00 plus $10.00 court costs.
• It is unlawful for any person to operate a motor vehicle in the state of Florida unless each passenger of the vehicle under the age of 18 years old is restrained by a safety belt or child restraint device pursuant to Florida Statute 316.613.