In this post, you’ll find a summary of Ohio car seat laws for rear-facing, forward-facing, and booster seat requirements in 2022. All these laws can be found on the State’s website here.
The Ohio Car Seat Requires parents and caregivers to adhere to the following safety practices:
- Infants and young kids in motor vehicle transit must use a child safety seat until they are four years old and weigh at least 40 pounds
- All kids aged between 4-8 years and no longer use a car seat muse use a booster seat until they are 4’9” tall.
- Children and teenagers aged 8-15 who do not use the booster seats must use an adult seat belt
What Ohio Law Says About Staying Safe with a Car Seat
The Ohio Car Seat Law provides parents and caregivers with safety tips to protect kids. The safety tips include:
- Ensure that your child is in the right seat for her age,m weight, and height
- Place your kids in the backseat of the car until they are at least 13 years old.
- Read the instructions and the manual of your child’s safety seat before installing it
- Ensure that you have to use the right belt path for the seat belt or the lower seat care set anchors
- Make sure you have installed the car seat instantly. The car seat should not move more than one inch from side-to-side or toward the front of the car
- Ensure that you harness the care seat straps around your baby such that you cannot pinch any slack on it.
- Adjust the plastic retainer clip to the level of your baby’s armpits if the cars eat has one
- Replace your kid’s safety seat if it is worn out, has missing pieces, has cracks, or has reached the manufacturer’s expiration date.
Ohio Car Seat Law Rear-Facing
The Ohio Car seat law states that infants and toddlers under two years of age should be in care seats facing the back of the car for the best protection. Also, toddlers who are over 2 years and are yet to reach their maximum height for their convertible car seat.
Ohio Car Seat Laws Forward-facing
The Ohio Car Set Law states that a child who has outgrown the weight or height limits of the rear-facing seat should use a forward-facing car seat.
The car seat law stipulates that kids should use a harnessed car seat until reaching the weight or height limit of the car seat.
Note: infants of below 1 year and weighing less than 20 pounds should not use a forward-facing car seat
Ohio Booster Seat Law & Requirements
In Ohio, a child is required to use a forward-facing seat when they are below 4 years old. After the age of 4 and when your child attains 40 pounds in weight, your child can transition to a booster seat. From age 4, your child should use a booster seater until they attain the age of 8 or attains 4’9” height.
Boosters are essential for kids under 4’9’’ tall because they raise a child such that the shoulder and lap belt of the car fits them correctly. It’s advisable for parents and caregivers to follow the manufacturers’ guidelines of the booster seat to provide maximum safety for the child.
When to Move From a Booster to the Seat Belt
A child who is at least 4’9’’ should switch from the booster to the seat belt. The lap belt should fit low on the hips and to fasten against the upper thighs and the shoulder belt should cross directly in the middle of the should and the chest of the kid sitting in the seat.
Note: the shoulder belt should not pass on the neck or throat of the kid because it puts the child on danger in case of an accident or when the driver steps on theirs breaks abruptly.
Fines Drivers Face
Drivers who violate the car seat law on the first offense receive a minimum fine of $25 and a maximum fine of $75 for each infraction. The first offense does not attract any jail term.
Drivers who violate the child car seat law on the second offense receive a fine of up to $250 and/or up-to 30 days in jail.
A third violation of the car seat laws attracts a fine of up to $500 and a jail term of up to 60 days in jail if found guilty of a third-degree misdemeanor.
The discussed Ohio Car seat laws refer to the child passenger laws that came to effect on 1st January 2020 after Governor Jay Inslee approved them in 2019.
Videos:
All the States in the US including Ohio, Oregon, Kentucky have child passenger safety regulations given that car crashes are the #1 cause of death among children in the United States.
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Hi there! I am Kate, a mother of two and a child mobility expert here at Motherhoodhq.com. I am very passionate about creating awareness and educating parents about strollers and car seat safety. I write a lot about car seats and pay close attention to the safety ratings of different brands from NHTSA and CR. I also write about the changing car seat safety laws in different states and occasionally work as a consultant to parents looking to get some help when deciding on the best car seat, travel system, and stroller to pick. I also blog on different blogs and have been recognized as a baby mobility expert. If you have any questions, you can reach me using; kate.n@motherhoodhq.com.
