If you are going anywhere with a child in Missouri, you understandably want the child to remain as safe as possible. While many parents rely on front-facing seats that allow them to more easily see their child, this is not always the safest mode of transportation. To make sure that your child remains as safe as possible during vehicle trips, it is critical to understand some basics about Missouri car seat laws.
Missouri Car Seat Laws
Some important car seat laws in Missouri that drivers should understand include:
- Children should remain in rear-facing child safety seats until they are 1 year old or weigh at least 20 lbs. By supporting a child’s head and neck, seats in this position reduce the chance of serious spinal injuries.
- Children under 4 years old or who weigh less than 40 lbs. must be secured in a child passenger restraint system.
- A child between the ages of 4 to 7 who weighs at least 40 lbs. must be placed in either a booster seat or child passenger restraint system until he or she is at least 80 lbs. or 4 foot 9 inches tall.
- Children who are 8 years of age and older and who weigh at least 80 lbs. or are taller than 4 foot 9 inches may ride with a seatbelt fastened around them.
- Any children under the age of 16 must be properly secured in a vehicle.
If parents in Missouri violate any of these requirements, they may end up facing a $50 fine as well as court costs.
Exceptions to These Requirements
There are some notable exceptions to Missouri seatbelt laws that guardians and parents should understand. These exceptions include:
- If a vehicle does not contain shoulder straps, a child of the appropriate height and weight can use a booster seat that is placed in the back seat of a vehicle and secured with only a lap belt.
- If you are traveling in a packed car and there are more people than safety restraints, the child must sit in the back seat of the vehicle.
- School buses in Missouri are not equipped with safety belts, which means that safety belt laws do not apply to either city or school buses.
- Commercial vehicles like taxi cabs do not require the same type of safety belt compliances as personal vehicles. For-hire vehicles in Missouri also are not required to follow child safety seat laws.
- While many special needs children below the age of 2 can use rear and front-facing safety seats, when the child gets older, it often becomes necessary to use a customized car safety seat.
An Experienced Missouri Car Accident Attorney can Help
At House Law LLC, we care about your family’s safety while driving Missouri’s roads. We also understand that car accidents can occur at any time, whether you are driving alone or have children in your vehicle. These accidents can cause serious complications that leave families facing long-lasting hardships. If you have been involved in a Missouri car accident, contact us today by calling (816) 875-4260.
Tags: Missouri laws
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