Child Safety Seat Inspections

Inspections

Step 1.Install your Car Seat

Car seats must be installed prior to  inspection. Albany Police staff will inspect the car seat and provide guidance and instruction, but cannot install it for you.

Step 2.Confirm the following

  • You have the owner’s manual for both your vehicle and the car seat.
  • You have  proof of residency if your vehicle is not registered in Albany.

Step 3.Make an Appointment

Inspections are by appointment only.  To request an appointment, please email the Albany Police Department. Include your name, address, phone number, type of vehicle, and a picture of the car seat’s manufacturer label (often found on the bottom or side of the car seat). Each inspection lasts approximately 30 minutes. If you are pregnant, please bring someone with you to assist in adjusting your car seat.

Child Safety Seat Inspection - Manufacturer's Label

Schedule an appointment

Why should I do it?

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), car crashes account for roughly one in four unintentional injury deaths to children under the age of 13. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 608 children age 12 and younger died in motor vehicle crashes in 2019 and more than 91,000 were injured. Of the children killed or injured, 38% were not restrained. 

As a parent or caregiver, you have the ability to make a lifesaving difference for a child by making sure that they are properly restrained. The Albany Police Department is committed to helping parents and caregivers ensure that children are as safe as possible when traveling on our City’s roadways and beyond.

As part of this commitment, our trained personnel will help parents and caregivers by:

  • Ensuring that car seats are not subject to a recall.
  • Ensuring that the car seat is appropriate for the child.
  • Ensuring that the car seat is installed correctly.
  • Ensuring that parents and caregivers understand best practices for keeping their child passengers safe.
    Child Safety Seat Inspection

Best Practices

California currently requires children under the age of 8 years old to be restrained in an appropriate child safety seat in the back seat of a vehicle. Best practices from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, however, provide additional guidelines to keep children as safe as possible.

These guidelines include, but are not limited to:

  • Children should remain rear-facing until they have outgrown the car seat according to manufacturer guidelines or they have reached the age of 2.
  • Once a child transitions to a forward facing, 5-point harness seat, children should remain in this type of seat until they have outgrown the seat according to manufacturer guidelines.
  • When a child has outgrown a 5-point harness seat by exceeding height or weight limits, it is time to transition to a belt-positioning booster seat. This often happens when a child reaches 4 feet 9 inches tall and/or when they reach 8-12 years of age.
  • No child seat should be installed in front of a front-end air bag.
  • Children should ride in the back seat until they are 13 years of age. Check your vehicle’s owner’s manual for specific limitations and recommendations for your specific vehicle.
  • Child safety seats should be replaced after an accident.
  • California Insurance Code § 11580.011 requires the replacement of a child passenger restraint system damaged due to an accident