Child Passenger Safety
Child Car Seat Installation
Do you need to install a car seat or make sure your car seat is properly installed? Our staff can help connect you with a Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician. At a Child Car Seat Fitting Station, you will learn how to install your own car seat correctly and learn valuable information about child passenger safety.
Car Seat Fitting Station Locations
Missoula Rural Fire District
Appointments Required
2nd Saturday of the Month
Call to Schedule
2521 South Ave W
Missoula, MT 59804
406.549.6172
Frenchtown Rural Fire District
By Appointment Only
Frenchtown Rural Fire District provides car seat installation and checks when one of their Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians is available. Please call to check availability and schedule a time.
16875 Marion St
Frenchtown, MT 59834
406.626.5791
CONTACT Drive Safe Missoula
Unable to use one of the fitting stations? Call or email us at [email protected] to set up an appointment with a Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician.
Car Seat Installation Resources
Child Car Seat Vouchers
Who is eligible?
To receive a car seat, you must be a Missoula County resident and receive some form of public assistance.
We have a limited number of car seats available, so our seats are reserved for families and caregivers who are receiving some form of public assistance (Medicaid, SNAP, TANF, WIC, etc…)
What types of car seats are available?
- We typically purchase convertible car seats, such as the Cosco Scenara Next. Convertible car seats can be used by infants, toddlers, and children that weigh between 5 and 40 pounds. This provides families with a car seat that can be used from day one through the preschool years.
- For new babies weighing less than 5 pounds, an infant-only car seat may be purchased.
- Booster seats with a weight range of 30 to 100 pounds are also available. We typically purchase the Cosco Finale 2-in-1 Booster Seat.
We can’t fulfill requests for specific car seat preferences. We offer a range of colors, but your preferred color might not be available. However, we could help you find a suitable car seat for children with disabilities.
How do I request a free car seat?
Contact Drive Safe Missoula by phone, email, or request form:
Drive Safe Missoula will verify your eligibility and our current stock of car seats. For those receiving a free car seat:
- Drive Safe Missoula will help select a car seat that works for your child’s age, weight, and height.
- Drive Safe Missoula will help you identify a Car Seat Fitting Station location that works for you.
- You will schedule an appointment at a Car Seat Fitting Station.
- You will learn how to install your new car seat at at a Car Seat Fitting Station. Appointments take about 1 hour.
Child Car Seat Resources
Car Crashes and Car Seat Safety
Were you recently in a car crash? Car seats that have been involved in a moderate to severe crash should not be used. You may be able to continue using car seats if the crash was minor. Click here to learn more about what counts as a minor crash.
Using a car seat that has been in a moderate to severe crash is dangerous. Used car seats can be risky to use, especially if you don’t know the crash history. Damage to the car seat may not be visible or obvious.
Car Seat Registration
Registering your car seat makes it easy to get important safety updates and to know if there’s a recall.
Finding the Right Car Seat
Do you need help figuring out what type of car seat is right for your child? This tool from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration lets you easily search and compare car seats based on your child’s height and weight.
How do I know if my child is ready to transition out of a booster seat?
While Montana’s new car seat law requires a booster seat until age 9, we recommend keeping kids in booster seats until they are at least 4’9″ AND can pass this 5-step test:
- Does their back sit flat against the vehicle seat?
- Do their knees bend naturally at the edge of the seat?
- Does the lap belt sit low on the hips/tops of the thighs?
- Does the shoulder belt cross the center of the shoulder and chest?
- Can they remain seated like this for the entire trip?
If the answer to any of these is “no,” they should remain in a booster seat to provide the safety benefits their growing bodies need.
What do I need to know about Montana’s new car seat law?
Montana’s new car seat law, HB586 went into effect or started on October 1, 2025. Here’s what you need to know as well as what we recommend.
The Basics
- Children under 2 must be in a rear-facing car seat.
- We recommend keeping them rear facing as long as possible and it’s best to keep them rear facing until they max out their seats height and weight limits. This means a 35 pound 4 year old could still be rear facing.
- Children aged 2 to 4 need to be in a rear-facing or forward-facing car seat with an internal harness.
- We recommend that they max out the height and or weight limit of their forward facing seat with the harness (which is usually up to 65 lbs.). This means a 58 pound 6 year old could still be in a forward facing car seat with a harness.
- Children aged 4 to 8 must be in a forward-facing seat or a booster seat.
- We recommend that they remain in a booster seat until they are 4’9″ tall. For more information about when to transition out of a booster seat, please check out the “How do I know if my child is ready to transition out of a booster seat?” section above.
- Children aged 9 and older, or those who have outgrown booster seat limits, must be secured with a properly fitted standard seat belt with the lap belt positioned low on the hips and the shoulder belt positioned across the collar bone.
- We recommend that children under the age of 13 remain in the back seat to keep their growing bodies away from the potentially dangerous and deadly impact of the front airbags during a crash.