Specially trained and certified Sheriff's deputies check over 1,000 child safety seats every year and find that 80-90 percent have not been installed correctly. Either the safety seat was not properly secured in the vehicle, or the child was not properly harnessed in the seat. To ensure that children are riding safely, the Sheriff ’s Office conducts FREE child safety seat events at the Fairfax County Courthouse Complex to instruct and assist parents and caregivers.
Virginia law requires that all children up to age 8 must be in a child restraint device, which includes a booster seat. The law also states that all rear-facing infant seats must be placed in the back seat of a vehicle. In the event the vehicle does not have a back seat, the rear-facing infant seat may be placed in the front passenger seat only if the vehicle is either not equipped with a passenger side airbag or the passenger side airbag has been deactivated.
Our next car seat inspection will be in February or March 2026 depending on weather, and we will update this website as soon as we have dates for those events. Please check back for more information.
For questions, please email SHF-PIO@fairfaxcounty.gov.