If your vehicle is equipped with seat belts, the seat belts or child safety seats must be used as required.
If your vehicle is not equipped with seat belts, neither seat belts nor child safety seats are required. In addition, you do not have to have seat belts fitted to your vehicle.
Seat Belt Safety for Adults
An adult is defined as a person who is 14 years of age or older.
- Any adult sitting in the front seat of a vehicle must wear a seat belt.
- Any adult sitting in the rear seat of a vehicle is not required to wear a seat belt.
Seat Belt Safety for Children
A child is defined as a person who is younger than 14 years of age.
- Any child sitting in the front or rear seat of a vehicle must wear a seat belt or be in the appropriate child safety seat.
- Children may sit in the front or the rear seat.
- If the rear seat is not fitted with seat belts, the child does not have to sit in the front seat, and if the child sits in the rear seat, they do not have to wear a seat belt or be in a child safety seat.
An infant (up to one year old or 20 pounds in weight) should be restrained in a rear-facing child safety seat. A child who is older than one year old and weighs between 20 and 40 pounds should be restrained in a forward facing child safety seat.
Children who are heavier than 40 pounds should use a booster seat when they use a three-point seat belt. The booster seat helps to make sure that the shoulder belt fits across the chest, not the neck, and that the lap belt rests over the hips, not across the stomach.
When a child is tall enough that the adult three point seat belt fits properly, the child does not need to use a booster seat.