In Georgia, seat belt and child restraint laws are in place for your safety and protection. These laws are founded in common sense, and reasonable adults obey seat belt laws, and also understand that they are under a duty to look after young passengers who cannot be expected to obey the laws on their own. Accordingly, child seat safety laws are in place for the protection of young passengers.
Summary of Georgia’s child seat safety laws
In Georgia, the child seat safety laws can be summarized as follows:
Anyone who carries a person under the age of eight years in any personal vehicle must restrain that child in a way that is appropriate for the child’s weight and height.
Children weighing at least 40 pounds must be secured by a lap belt alone if there are no shoulder belts.
Other children must be restrained in the back seat, unless there are no rear seats available. In such cases, the child may be restrained in the front seat.
Children do not have to be restrained if a physician provides a written statement to the effect that such restraint could harm the child.
Children over 47 inches tall may be restrained in the rear seat if there is no room in the rear due to it being occupied by shorter, younger children.
Penalties
If you violate the motor vehicle laws in Georgia as they relate to child restraint, you could be subject to a fine of $50, and you could also have demerit points assessed against your driver’s license. The laws are in place to protect you and your children, so common sense would seem to suggest that you should obey them. Avoid a fine, and protect your kids.
