- Knowledgebase: Child Safety, Injury Prevention and Treatment
- Questions about child safety and injury prevention, as well as treatment for minor injuries.
- 26. What is the NC Child Seat Belt Law? - Top
- What are the basic requirements of this law?
All children less than sixteen years old must be buckled up in either the front or back seat.
A child who is younger than age five and who weighs less than 40 pounds must be properly secured in a child passenger restraint device (CRD) that 1) meets Federal standards applicable at the time of its manufacture, and 2) is appropriate for the child's weight and height.
When a child reaches age five (regardless of weight) or 40 pounds (regardless of age), a seat belt may be used instead of a CRD to restrain the child.
Do I have to buckle my child in the back seat?
NC law requires that a CRD be installed in the rear seat If the child is required to be in a CRD and the vehicle has an active passenger side air bag. The CRD may be installed in the front seat if it is designed for use with air bags. In addition, it is strongly recommended that:
All children age twelve and under should ride buckled up in a rear seat.
Infants in rear facing child safety seats should NEVER ride in the front seat of a vehicle with an active passenger side air bag. Small children should ride in a rear seat in child safety seats approved for their age and size.
If a child over one year old MUST ride in the front seat with a passenger side air bag, put the child in a front facing full harness CRD, a belt-positioning booster seat, or a correct fitting lap/shoulder belt-- AND move the seat as far back as possible.
There are four exemptions to this law:
1. Ambulances and other emergency vehicles.
2. Vehicles not required by federal standards to be equipped with seat belts. This includes cars made before 1968 and pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles, and vans made before 1972, and large buses.
3. Children may be left unbuckled if all belted seating positions are occupied. The difficult decision for the driver is to choose which children will ride unprotected. Plan car pools by counting the number of belts that each vehicle provides.
4. Children may be removed from their seats to "tend to personal needs" such as nursing or changing a diaper. However, children have been killed when taken out of their seats for "just a minute." Instead, find a safe place to pull over, stop the car, and then tend to the child's needs.
- Updated: May 22, 2001
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