INDIANAPOLIS -- Four children were riding in a van that was involved in a serious crash Tuesday night in Lawrence.
Police say three of the children weren't in safety seats or wearing seat belts. A one-year-old was in a forward-facing car seat.
In Indiana, all children under the age of 8 must be properly restrained in a child safety seat or booster seat.
Approximately 85 percent of child safety seats are misused nationally, according to the Indiana State Police.
Troopers say children under the age of one and less than 20 pounds must be restrained in a rear-facing child safety seat. Many newer seats will restrain a child rear-facing up to 30 to 35 pounds, and parents are encouraged to keep their children rear-facing as long as possible.
Children that are at least one and 20 pounds may be restrained in a forward-facing child safety seat with an internal harness system.
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Children who are at least 30 pounds may use a booster seat, but troopers encourage parents to keep their kids restrained in forward-facing seats until they are at least 40 pounds.
For more information on proper child safety seat use, click here.
Indiana law requires all kids under the age of eight to use a child restraint system, which is usually a booster seat.
All kids under the age of 16 must be properly restrained by using a seat belt or a child restraint system.
For more information on installing a child safety seat, click here.
To find a location where you can have your child's safety seat checked, click here.
To learn more about car seat safety, watch the video in the player above.
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