virginia car seat laws front seat

No comments on the forward-facing car seats. Any driver and any other person at least 18 years of age and occupying the front seat of a motor vehicle equipped or required by the provisions of this title to be equipped with a safety belt system consisting of lap belts shoulder harnesses.

Virginia Car Seat Laws Of 2019 With Recent Changes Updates

It should not be placed.

. The forward-facing seat must feature a 5-point harness and be installed in the back seat. According to the state laws in Virginia drivers are required to keep children in a safety seat until they are eight years old. In addition Virginia law requires everyone in the front seat of vehicles to be properly restrained regardless of age and those 18 and older can be ticketed.

Theres no law in Virginia on when kids can ride in the front seat other than specifying that rear-facing car seats should go in the back but many car manufacturers specify that kids should not ride in the front until age 13. For optimal protection use the forward-facing child restraint until the child is at the highest weight or height specified in the manufacturers instructions or on the safety seat labels. If your child is under the age of 2 or didnt reach the maximum weight and height limits stated by the manufacturer then they have to use a rear-facing car seat.

Different car seats have different weight and height specifications for. West Virginia Forward Facing Car Seat Laws. Children 7 years and under must be restrained in a car seat or booster seat in the back seat of a vehicle.

Children two and older that weigh less than 50 pounds will. Keep them in the forward-facing car seat until they reach the weight or height limits on. Any rear-facing car seat must be placed in the back seat unless the car does not have back seats In such cases the car seat may be strapped in the front seat as long as the passenger airbag has been manually deactivated.

Occupants of front seats of motor vehicles required to use safety lap belts and shoulder harnesses. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NHTSA and the American Academy of Pediatrics AAP advises all children ride in rear-facing in the back seat until they are 2-years-old or as long as the safety. Virginia lawmakers passed a new child car seat law in May of 2018 which will take effect on July 1 2019.

According to the law kids under the age of 8 have to be secured the following way. The new law requires that children remain in a rear-facing car seat until age two or until they reach the seat manufacturers minimum weight for safe front-facing car seat use whichever comes first. Regardless of the law heres why children are drastically safer in rear-facing car seats.

Virginia law does not specify when children can ride in the front seat of a vehicle. An adult safety belt is permissible for children ages 8-17 and safety belts are required for the driver and all passengers. There is an exception to article 15-46 for children who are 49 or taller.

At 49 the seatbelt should sit across the childs upper thighs shoulder and. Keep them in the safer rear-facing position as long as possible because kids who ride rear-facing have the best protection for their head neck and spine. The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles sets out the four phases of child car seats in the Commonwealth.

The required seat will depend on the childs age and size. You can position your babys seat facing forward when your baby is at least two years old and weighs at least 20 pounds. Car seats must meet Department of Transportation DOT safety standards.

General Information Infant Seats. The forward-facing car seat should not be used until the child is at least two years of age weighs at least 20 pounds and has reached the highest allowed weight for a rear-facing safety seat. As of July 1 2019 all children under 2 years old or below the minimum weight must be rear facing.

Although Virginia law doesnt require it safety officials strongly suggest all infants ride in rear-facing restraints all toddlers who outgrow rear-facing restraints move on to front-facing restraints and all children who outgrow front-facing restraints move on to booster seats. However according to the states Department of Motor Vehicles page all children under the age of 13 should be correctly secured in the back seat of a motor vehicle. As experts have researched the safety benefits of car seats and booster seats states have implemented stricter laws regarding them.

Children who have outgrown their rear-facing car seat move to a forward-facing seat with a harness. If so its recommended to ride a child in a harnessed forward-facing car seat as long as possible before they exceed the weight or height limit allowed by the car. 1 The Rear-Facing Car Seat.

They dont need a booster seat or car seat per West Virginia law. Break the law and the fine for a first offense is 50. Virginia law requires all toddlers two or younger to use a rear-facing car seat.

Babies have heavy heads and fragile necks with soft bones and stretchy ligaments. The minimum weight is your car seat manufacturers minimum forward-facing weight. A child taller than 49 even under the age of eight may ride as a passenger with a standard safety belt.

When can my child sit in the front seat in Virginia. Safety experts agree it is best to. From birth to 2 years old your child must rear-face in Virginia.

Heres an excellent explanation of why. Virginia Forward Facing Car Seat Laws. Virginia Car Seat Laws.

By Virginia law in section 462-1095 A children can be moved to a forward-facing car seat after they are at least two years old or when they outgrow their rear-facing child safety seat. Car Seat Law Code of Virginia Article 13 Section 462 Law. Virginia law is unchanged for older kids.

The West Virginia law states that a child under eight years of age should be secured in a child restrained system. Virginia law requires everyone under age 18 to be properly secured in a safety belt or child safety seat no matter where they are sitting in the vehicle and the driver is responsible for making sure this happens. When a baby rides facing backwards the whole-body head neck and torso are safely cradled by the back of the safety seat.

Guide To Virginia Car Seat Laws Andrew Flusche