With the approach of summer and family road trips, drivers are reminded that Ohio law requires children between the ages of 4 and 15 to be properly restrained by either a child car seat, booster seat, or safety seat at all times while they are being transported by a motor vehicle, with the exception of taxicabs or public safety vehicles. Observing these important laws can dramatically reduce injuries to young automobile passengers arising out of motor vehicle accidents. The laws in Ohio concerning child restraint systems are as follows:
If a child is under 1 year old and weighs less than 20 pounds, the child must be in a rear-facing child seat;
If a child is at least 1 year old and weighs more than 20 pounds, the child can ride in a forward facing seat;
A child weighing over 40 pounds must ride in a booster seat until the age of 8, or until the child is at least 4’9″ tall. Boosters properly position the seatbelt. A high backed booster should be used if the car’s backseat is below the top of the child’s ears;
Children under the age of 12 should ride in the backseat of the vehicle to prevent airbag injuries and death. Airbags deploy with great force at an angle that will injury or kill a child;
In addition to exposing a child to serious injury or death, drivers who violate this law can be charged with a misdemeanor.
For more information, contact the Ohio car accident lawyers at Clark, Perdue & List.
Source, DMV.org, “Safety Laws in Ohio: Child Car Seat Laws.”