Seat belts save lives, but the typical lap belt system is designed for adults. Young children can actually be injured if they are buckled into a seat, so South Carolina requires that children ride in car seats. This law confuses many parents, and the state regularly updates it. We dive deeper into the state law requirements in this article. Contact McCravy, Newlon, Sturkie & Clardy if you were involved in an accident and your child was injured. A Greenwood car accident lawyer can discuss possible compensation.
What Are South Carolina Car Seat Laws?
SC car seat laws identify which safety system to use depending on the child’s age and size.
Rear-Facing Car Seats
Infants should be strapped into a rear-facing car seat secured in the back seat of the vehicle. Do not place this rear-facing seat in the front seat with you.
This is the safest seat to use. South Carolina requires using the rear-facing car seat until your child is two years of age or at least until your child exceeds the manufacturer’s height or weight limit.
Some children might outgrow the seat before age two, while others are still within the limit even after their second birthday. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends keeping your child in a rear-facing seat if they fit. This is a safe option and can protect your loved ones in an accident.
Forward-Facing Car Seats
Children graduate from the rear-facing model to a forward-facing seat. Under the car seat laws SC, a child can move into a forward-facing seat once they exceed the height or weight limits for a rear-facing seat. For many children, this will be by age two.
Adults should install the forward-facing seat in the backseat of their vehicle. If you do not know how, then you should review the installation instructions that come with the seat.
Your child should stay in this forward-facing seat so long as they fit and are within the manufacturer’s guidelines. For most children, that is age four, but everything depends on your child’s size.
Booster Seats
When your child grows too tall or heavy, it’s time to move them into a booster seat. Typically, children graduate to a booster at age four, but you should not make the transition until your child actually exceeds the height or weight limitations for a forward-facing car seat.
A booster seat goes in the back of your car. It elevates your child so that they can be safely strapped in using both the shoulder and lap belt.
Adult Seat Belt Systems
Under SC car seat laws, your child is ready to graduate to the adult seat belt system when they are at least 57 inches tall. For many children, that will be around age 8. However, you should continue to use the booster seat until your child can safely be buckled into place using both the lap and shoulder belt.
The shoulder belt should cross your child at chest level and not cut across the face or neck. Furthermore, the lap belt should hug your child’s hips and not simply cross the belly.
Some children might not safely fit using the adult seat belt, so do not rush out of the booster seat simply because your child is now eight years of age. Furthermore, children are safer in the back seat, even once they are large enough to be out of the booster. Many sources recommend having a child sit in the back until they are at least 13 years old.
Tips for Car and Booster Seats
Being a new parent is overwhelming. Fortunately, help is available to find and install a car seat properly:
- Read both your car manual and the car seat instructions to fully understand how to safely install a car seat.
- Seek help. If you don’t know how to install a seat, you can visit an inspection station in your county. A technician will perform a free inspection to check that your seat is installed properly.
- Don’t rush transitions. There is no need to rush your child into a forward-facing seat if they are still within the manufacturer’s limits for a rear-facing seat. The same is true if they turn four and are not big enough for a booster seat.
- Avoid putting either a car or booster seat in the front with you. A deployed airbag could injure your child.
- Check recalls. Many car and booster seats are recalled due to a design or manufacturing defect. You can find the most recent recalls at the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Recall website. Immediately stop using a recalled seat and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for repairing or replacing the seat.
Was Your Child Hurt in an Accident?
Car seats and booster seats are designed to protect your child in a wreck. Nonetheless, children are sometimes hurt even when properly strapped in, just as adults are hurt even though they are buckled up.
Call an experienced Greenwood car accident lawyer to discuss what happened. Typically, parents can sue a negligent driver for hitting their vehicle. Children cannot file their own lawsuits, so work with a lawyer who knows how to negotiate a claim for a child.
Also, keep your car or booster seat. They are sometimes defective, and a defect will contribute to injuries. We want to inspect the seat to see if it broke apart during the accident or if a faulty design injured your child. Depending on the defect, we might seek compensation from the manufacturer in addition to the motorist who caused the crash.
Get the Legal Help You Need by Calling Our Office
Car accidents leave children with serious injuries and emotional scars. Protect your family by using and installing the correct car or booster seat. And if your child is injured in any type of accident, our law firm can help. McCravy, Newlon, Sturkie & Clardy is an established firm that holds negligent drivers accountable. Give us a call to schedule a consultation with one of our Greenwood car accident lawyers.