Are 90% of Arkansas Kids Unsafe in Their Car Seats?

Every day, millions of parents trust car seats and boosters to keep their small children safe in case of a vehicle accident. And each year, some of those car seats and boosters, used by thousands of children, undergo — and fail — safety checks.

Nationally, nearly 74% of safety seats aren’t as safe as parents think. They’ve been improperly installed, secured, or used by well-meaning parents. And children in some states may be more at risk than in others.

Arkansas had the highest rate of car seat misuse in 2025, according to an analysis of National Digital Car Seat Check Form (NDCSCF) data by AAA and the National Safety Council (NSC). Child passenger safety technicians conducted approximately 97,000 car seat inspections last year, including 1,300 in Arkansas. They found misuse problems with 89.5% of inspected seats in the state.

10 states with the highest rates of child safety seat misuse

In all, 21 states had misuse rates that exceeded the national average of 73.7%, the study found. While all 50 states and Washington, D.C., have car seat laws for children, none require parents to have car seats professionally installed or inspected. Data in the NDCSCF database is from voluntary safety checks.

The analysis by AAA and the NSC looked at specific types of common misuses, including loose car seat harnesses, improperly fitting seat belts for children in booster seats or seat belts alone, loose car seat installation with seat belts, loose lower anchor attachments, not using a tether for forward-facing car seats, and using the lower anchor system and seat belt to install a car seat.

State	Improperly Installed Car Seats	Number of Car Seats Checked (2025)	Most Common Car Seat Errors by State
Arkansas	89.5%	1,300	Improper seat belt fit, harness too loose, seat belt too loose on car seat
Alabama	88.0%	1,700	Improper seat belt fit, harness too loose, seat belt too loose on car seat
Georgia	84.3%	4,500	Improper seat belt fit, harness too loose, no tether on forward-facing seats
Oklahoma	83.6%	1,100	Improper seat belt fit, harness too loose, seat belt too loose on car seat
Nevada	82.0%	2,400	Improper seat belt fit, harness too loose, seat belt too loose on car seat
Michigan	80.8%	5,400	Improper seat belt fit, seat belt too loose on car seat, no tether on forward-facing seats
Indiana	79.5%	7,200	Improper seat belt fit, harness too loose, no tether on forward-facing seats
Maine	78.8%	555	Harness too loose, seat belt too loose on car seat, no tether on forward-facing seats
California	78.2%	5,100	Improper seat belt fit, harness too loose, seat belt too loose on car seat
Nebraska	76.8%	1,700	Improper seat belt fit, harness too loose, seat belt too loose on car seat

Sources: Common Child Passenger Safety Misuses in the U.S. and by State, National Car Seat Check Coverage Map

The 10 states with the lowest rates of misuse were New Jersey (20.2%), Arizona (54.3%), New York (55.7%), Virginia (58.9%), South Carolina (60.7%), Pennsylvania (62.4%), Massachusetts (65%), Kansas (65.7%), North Carolina (66.2%), and Illinois (68.5%).

What’s next? Car seat safety tips for parents

“Free car seat inspections are typically available from local police and fire departments,” said Matt Brannan, Insurify’s senior economic analyst and a licensed insurance agent. “Choosing and installing a car seat is a great first step for keeping your child safe, and it’s the law in every state. Getting the seat installation inspected is an important next step.”

Parents can further protect their children while riding in vehicles by keeping children younger than 13 properly secured in the back seat. Keep infants and toddlers in rear-facing seats as long as possible. Always use the provided tether on a forward-facing car seat.

Wait to switch children to a booster seat until they are at least 6 years old and have outgrown their car seat. Kids are ready to switch to adult seat belts only when the belt fits low across their hips, the shoulder belt crosses the center of their chest and shoulder, and their knees bend over the edge of the seat.

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