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#California Safety Laws - Cell Phone, Seat Belt, Car Seat, Child Safety Laws in CA

Child Car Seat

As of January 1, 2012, all children must ride in car seat or booster seat until they are at least 8 years old or at least 4 feet 9 inches tall. In addition, all kids younger than 8 years old, must be secured in the back seat.

When a Child May Ride in Front

Children may ride in the front seat of a vehicle, but only when:

• There is no rear seat or the rear seats are either side-facing jump seats or rear-facing seats.
• The child passenger restraint system cannot be installed properly in the rear seat.
• All rear seats are already occupied by children under the age of 8 years old
• A medical reason requires the child to ride in the front seat.

Some vehicles, usually those with no backseats, come with an airbag-off switch for this purpose.

General Seat Belt Laws

With a few exceptions, everyone riding in a car must be contained by an approved safety-restraint system (seat belts and/or safety seats). Some passengers may be exempted from this requirement due to medical issues if they have a letter from their doctor excusing them from the seat-belt law.

Passengers who are at least 16 years old can be cited for failing to comply with the law. Drivers are responsible for their own conduct along with their passenger's behavior, and can be cited for any seat-belt violation that occurs within their vehicle.

• First offense―$20
• Subsequent offenses―$50