Motor vehicle injuries are the leading cause of death among children in the United States. Many of these deaths can be prevented. Placing children in age- and size-appropriate car seats and booster seats reduces serious and fatal injuries by more than half.
Child Passenger Restraint Laws
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V.C. 27360 - Children must be properly secured in the back seat in a child restraint system (safety seat, booster, car bed, or harness) that meets federal standards until they are at least 8 years old.
Exceptions to requirement for child restraint system:
A child under age 8 who is at least 4'9" may be properly restrained in a safety belt.
In an emergency vehicle or a life-threatening emergency, if no safety seat is available, a child
under age 8 may be secured with a safety belt.
Physical unfitness, medical condition, or size may be cause for exemption.
Children over 40 lbs. may be transported in a lap belt if the back seat does not have a lap and shoulder belt.
- Exceptions to rear seat requirement:
- No forward-facing rear seat in vehicle;
- child restraint cannot be properly installed in rear seat;
- all rear seats are occupied by other children age 7 or under;
- medical reasons.
A child in a rear-facing safety seat may not ride in front if there is an active passenger air bag.
V.C. 27360.5 - Children who are at least 8 years old and are under age 16 must be properly secured in either a child restraint system or a properly fitted safety belt.
Miscellaneous Child Passenger Laws
15620(a) VC – This law prohibits a person from leaving a child age 6 or younger, or with a child under 12, alone in a vehicle.
118948(a) H&S – This law prohibits smoking in a vehicle if there is a child under 18 inside the vehicle
Links
www.carseat.org/
www.cdc.gov/MotorVehicleSafety/Child_Passenger_Safety/CPS-Factsheet.html
California DMV
http://usa.safekids.org/
If you have questions about the vehicle code laws and their interpretations, please feel free to call the traffic division at the Glendora Police Department (626) 914-8250. Also, let us know if you have any questions about how traffic laws apply to streets in Glendora by e-mailing traffic@glendorapd.org.