New Child Safety Seat Laws Take Effect August 1, 2019!

For those of you with children under the age of 18 who sometimes ride in your vehicle, be aware that new laws have been enacted which may have an impact on you.

Senate Bill 76 increases the ages for many child safety restraints and requires that a child meet not only the height and weight requirements, but also the age requirements set in the statute for each type of restraint.

The new law requires:

• rear-facing child restraint systems for any child under the age of 2

• forward-facing restraints with an internal harness for children over the age of 2 who have outgrown the manufacturer’s height and weight requirements for the rear-facing child restraint

• a booster seat with a vehicle lap-shoulder belt for children over the age of 4 who have outgrown the manufacturer’s height and weight requirements for a forward-facing restraint system; and

• an adult safety belt for a child who has reached the age of 9 years old and has outgrown the previous restraint systems height and weight requirements.

Please note that a child must meet both the age and height and weight requirements to move to the next safety restraint; otherwise, the child must be placed in the more restricting of the categories which applies.

If you or someone you know falls afoul of these new restrictions, contact us for a consult at 318-459-9111.