Florida Car Seat Laws

[Groovee]

Hi

I'm a mum from the UK who will be coming to Orlando in July. I have a 6 year old son and a 9 year old daughter. In the UK my kids have to be in car seats until they are 12 or 4ft 5ins. Can anyone help me with what the current car seat laws are for Florida?

Many Thanks

Louise x

 

[CastleCreations]

Wow! I can't believe that they have to stay in a seat until they are 12. That's wild. I have a 6 and 7 year old (both girls) and only the youngest uses a booster seat. The law I believe is more strict on seat belts, rather than the car seats. Especially at your children's ages

 

[mjkacmom]

I believe Florida's laws are lax - here in NJ, it's 8 and 80. Just bring a booster for your youngest.

 

[all4fun]

Here in the states, the laws vary by state. Florida has some of the most lenient car seat laws in the U.S.. The U.S. Gov't transportation dept (NHTSA) recommends children ride in a booster from 4-8yrs old, minimum, and ideally until they are 4'9". Safety experts ask that people go by the 5 step booster test:

1. Does the child sit all the way back against the auto seat?
2. Do the child's knees bend comfortably at the edge of the auto seat?
3. Does the belt cross the shoulder between the neck and arm?
4. Is the lap belt as low as possible, touching the thighs?
5. Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?

So, if you go by the law, your kids aren't required to be in anything but a seat belt in Florida. If you want to do what is safest, I would at minimum bring a backless booster for your younger child, and possibly for the 9yr old too, if she's on the smaller side (ie under 4'9" tall).

hth

 

[Groovee]

Thanks for all the info. It's amazing how different it is all over the world. We're thinking we'll just bring our own booster seat over with us. We're flying scheduled and have a massive luggage allowance.

 

[ScotsMinnie]

We fly scheduled from the UK too and you will probably find that they take your car seat over and above your luggage allowance. Just wrap it up in a black bag or something similar label it and put it in separately. Don't want to take up any room which could be used for shopping!!!!