Louisiana to Change Child Safety Seat Laws in August

Starting in August, Louisiana child seat laws will undergo some significant changes due to the implementation of Louisiana Senate Bill 76.

Old Child Restraint Requirements

Under previous legislation, children who were one year or younger or weighed less than twenty pounds were required to sit in a rear facing safety seat.

Children between ages one and four who weighed between twenty and forty pounds were meant to be restrained in a forward-facing child safety seat.

Children between the ages of four and six years old and weighing between forty and sixty pounds were required to use booster seats.

New Rules Under Senate Bill 76

Under the new Louisiana Senate Bill 76, children up to two years old must be secured in a rear facing seat, unless they exceed the manufacturer’s weight and height limits.

Children who have outgrown the rear-facing seats must be secured in a forward-facing child restraint system until they are four years old and exceed the weight and height limits.

Children ages four to nine who have outgrown the forward-facing restraint system will be transitioned to a belt positioning child booster seat.

Finally, once the child is at least nine years old or has outgrown the specified weight limits set in place by the booster seat manufacturer, they are legally able to transition to the vehicle’s adult safety belt.

Notably, SB 76 also more thoroughly describes what qualifies as an acceptable restraint system for each level of child seat.

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