Beginning Jan. 1, a new law will require children under the age of 2 to be properly secured in a rear-facing car seat unless the child weighs 40 or more pounds or is more than 40 inches tall — or riding in a vehicle that weights more than 9,000 pounds.
House Bill 4377 passed the House and Senate with bipartisan support.
A 2007 study in the Injury Prevention Journal found that children under age 2 are 75 percent less likely to die or to be severely injured in a crash if they are in rear-facing seats, according to a press release issued by Sen. Michael Hastings, D-Tinley Park, who co-sponsored the bill.