New Seat-belt Laws in Tennessee for KIDS

Dec 30, 2013 at 10:45 pm by bryan


New laws regarding child passenger restraints take effect this week on Jan. 1.

  • Under the new law a child one year old or younger, weighing 20 lbs or less are to be secured in a rear facing child restraint seat.
  • Children age one through three and weighing more than 20 lbs. are to be secured in a forward facing child safety seat in the rear seat location if available.
  • For those children who are between four and eight years old and who are less than four feet nine inches tall, the new laws require them to be in a booster seat.
  • Children who are nine to twelve years of age and who are four foot nine inches or taller can sit in a regular seatbelt.
  • Children 13 years old to 15 years old are to be secured by a passenger restraint system, including safety belts.
State law requires that a driver of a car is responsible for making sure that children under the age of 16 years old are properly restrained or the driver could be fined $50 for a violation of the law. If the child’s parent or guardian is present in the car but not driving they are responsible for making sure that the child is properly fastened in the vehicle and if not, they may be fined for non-compliance.
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