Florida Children Safety Car Seat Laws

Florida has four categories of child passenger safety laws. They vary depending on a child's age, height and weight. The laws comply with safety standards established by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and are administered by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. You can be ticketed and fined by municipal, county and state law enforcement if you are found in violation of them.

Rear-Facing Seats

• Infants under a year old or who weigh less than 20 pounds must be in a rear-facing car seat in a vehicle's back seat. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, rear-facing seats are the safest, so it's important that you don't switch your child to a forward-facing seat too soon. Check the manufacturer's instructions to get the size and weight limits for the seat you're using.

Forward-Facing Seats

• Children between 20 and 40 pounds, usually between 1 and 4 years old, can ride in forward-facing seats secured in the back seat of the vehicle. Find out what the weight and height requirements are for the particular seat you're using, so you know when your child is ready for it and when she has outgrown it. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles cautions against moving children to forward-facing seats too soon.

Booster Seats

• Children between 40 and 80 pounds, usually between 4 and 8 years old and under 57 inches tall, must ride in a booster seat secured by the vehicle's rear shoulder and lap belts. Regardless of height and weight, children younger than 6 are required to ride in a booster seat.

Safety Belts

• Children who weigh more than 80 pounds and are more than 57 inches tall can ride in the back seat of a vehicle secured with just the vehicle's shoulder and lap belts. Make sure the shoulder belt rests between the arm and neck, and the lap belt rests across the upper thighs. Children younger than 13 are never allowed to ride in the front passenger seat.