California Car Seat Laws in 2020
Every year, around 100,000 children under the age of 12 are injured in car accidents across the country. California has enacted strict regulations concerning the use of child automobile restraints to protect children from injury. The state is constantly updating those laws to account for new technology and updated knowledge on traffic safety. Learn about California’s current car seat laws below, and call a knowledgeable Lancaster car accident lawyer if your child has been injured in a car crash in the Antelope Valley
California’s Current Car Seat Laws
The requirements for child car seats depend upon the age and size of the child in the vehicle. The regulations concern the type of child restraint system that must be employed as well as where the child must be located in the vehicle. According to California’s current traffic safety regulations:
- Ages 0-2: Children under the age of two must ride in a rear-facing child car seat until they either weigh 40 pounds or reach 40 inches in height. Children should be secured in a manner that complies with the height and weight limits indicated by the manufacturer of the car seat.
- Ages 2-8: Children under the age of eight must be secured in a car seat or booster seat and must ride in the back seat of the car. Once children exceed 40 lbs. or 40” tall, they may graduate from a rear-facing car seat to a forward-facing car seat. Typically, children will ride in a car seat until they reach the weight limit of 65 lbs. depending on the specifications of the seat manufacturer, at which point they should switch to a booster seat.
- Ages 8-16: Children who are eight years old or who are at least 4’9” tall may be secured by a booster seat or a seat belt. Children over age eight may ride in the front or back of the vehicle, although experts recommend children under age 13 stay in the back. At a minimum, children aged eight years and older must be secured by a safety belt. Seat belts are made for 165 lb. adults, so it is important to use a belt-positioning booster seat until the child is a proper size to ride without one.
- Ages 16+: Passengers aged 16 and older must wear a seat belt under California’s mandatory seat belt law.
If your child or another loved one has been injured or killed by a negligent driver in California, talk to an effective and compassionate Lancaster personal injury attorney about pursuing a claim for damages by calling the Kistler Law Firm at 661-206-6990.
