Child Safety Seat Instruction

• Car crashes are the number one cause of unintentional injury related death in children.
• A properly installed child seat is highly effective at preventing injury and death.
• More than 80 percent of all child safety seats on the road are improperly installed. Is yours one of them?

The Irving Police Department provides officers who are certified child passenger safety technicians to teach you how to install your child seat.

“What is the “best” child safety seat...?”

• The one that fits your child
• The one that fits your vehicle
• The one that you will use correctly every time

What We Do...

Instruction By Appointment

Click on the above link to schedule your appointment. One of our certified technicians will respond to set up your appointment. Appointments are done Monday through Friday during business hours. Our goal is not to be an installation service, but an education service. We will spend approximately 30 to 40 minutes explaining the parts and functions of your seat as we instruct you in it’s proper installation and use. If possible we would like you to install the seat on your own, using what you have learned.

Schedule an Appointment

Child Passenger Safety Presentations

Officers will to come to your business or school for a one hour presentation on the proper use of child restraints.

Child Seat Fitting Stations

Officers assist Dallas and Tarrant County SAFE KIDS with child seat fitting stations. These are advertised events with multiple technicians at locations such as area businesses. If your business would like to sponsor such an event, or donate needed material please let us know.

Important Points to Remember

• Follow your safety seat’s and your vehicle’s instructions manuals.
• When installing a safety seat it is important to get a tight fit (seat should move less than 1 inch).
• The safety seat harness that secures the child to the seat should also fit snugly.
• The harness retainer clip should be at the child's arm pit level.
• Rear-facing infant seats should be reclined at a 45-degree angle (Infants heads should not fall forward which could fatally obstruct their airway).
• Children should remain rear facing to the upper weight limit of convertible seats (Some seats remain rear facing up to 30 pounds, 35 pounds and 40 pounds depending on manufacturer).

Texas Child Passenger Safety Laws

In a passenger vehicle*

• Children younger than 8 years old 
  • Unless they are taller than 4’9”, they must be restrained in a child safety seat in accordance with manufacturer's instructions.
• Anyone 8 years old or older must be restrained in a seat belt regardless of position in vehicle.
  • Children under 18 years old cannot occupy the bed of a truck or trailer

"Passenger vehicle" means a passenger car, light-duty truck, sport utility vehicle (SUV), and passenger van designed to transport 15 or fewer passengers, including the driver, truck or truck tractor.