A child aged 4 years must be in what type of seating arrangement?

For a child aged 4 years, the most appropriate seating arrangement is a forward-facing car seat. At this age, children typically meet the minimum weight and height requirements to transition from a rear-facing car seat to a forward-facing car seat, which provides essential protection during travel. Forward-facing car seats are designed for children's growing bodies, offering enhanced safety features like five-point harnesses, which secure the child firmly and help prevent injury during a crash.

While booster seats are essential for older children who have outgrown their forward-facing seats but aren't yet tall enough for regular seat belts, a 4-year-old is usually still within the weight limit for a forward-facing car seat. It's important to follow local regulations and safety recommendations, as they can vary by state and evolve over time, but generally, a forward-facing car seat is the natural progression for children who have outgrown the rear-facing option while still being too small for a booster seat.

Using just a regular seatbelt at this age would not adequately secure the child since they do not yet fit the vehicle's seatbelts correctly without additional support, which a booster seat would provide. Therefore, the forward-facing car seat is the best choice for ensuring that a child is safe while traveling in a vehicle