Florida Car Seat Requirements

[TKH]

Does anyone know what requirements Florida has for a 4 year old, 45 pound child? Car seat, booster seat, or nothing?

 

[wilkeliza]

Does anyone know what requirements Florida has for a 4 year old, 45 pound child? Car seat, booster seat, or nothing?

Any child under 5 in the state of Florida must be properly restrained in a vehicle. Children through age 3 must be in a child safety seat (car seat). Children ages 4 an 5 must either be in a child safety seat, an integrated child safety seat or a seat belt. If they are under 4' 9" and between 40-80 lbs then a booster must be used. If they are over 4' 9" it depends if the seat belt fits properly or not.

Edit to add a child age 12 and under in the state of Florida must be in the back seat and all children under 4'9" are recommended to use boosters but after 5 are not legally required.

 

[TKH]

Any child under 5 in the state of Florida must be properly restrained in a vehicle. Children through age 3 must be in a child safety seat (car seat). Children ages 4 an 5 must either be in a child safety seat, an integrated child safety seat or a seat belt. If they are under 4' 9" and between 40-80 lbs then a booster must be used. If they are over 4' 9" it depends if the seat belt fits properly or not.

Edit to add a child age 12 and under in the state of Florida must be in the back seat and all children under 4'9" are recommended to use boosters but after 5 are not legally required.

Thank you. Trying to figure out what we need for a seat on our trip, and the car company said we didn't need anything. I wouldn't do that anyway for safety's sake, but I wanted to know what was really required. So thanks!

 

[Gracie09]

They make a blowup booster seat bubble bum I think. They get good safety reviews and you can deflate them flat.

 

[Alesia]

Any child under 5 in the state of Florida must be properly restrained in a vehicle. Children through age 3 must be in a child safety seat (car seat). Children ages 4 an 5 must either be in a child safety seat, an integrated child safety seat or a seat belt. If they are under 4' 9" and between 40-80 lbs then a booster must be used. If they are over 4' 9" it depends if the seat belt fits properly or not.

Edit to add a child age 12 and under in the state of Florida must be in the back seat and all children under 4'9" are recommended to use boosters but after 5 are not legally required.

A booster seat is not require for 4- and 5-year-olds. Recommended, but not required.

http://www.sheriff.org/safety/carseat.cfm

 

[Princess_Nikki]

Thank you. Trying to figure out what we need for a seat on our trip, and the car company said we didn't need anything. I wouldn't do that anyway for safety's sake, but I wanted to know what was really required. So thanks!

But nothing?! *shudders* Thank goodness you have sense OP because clearly the car company does not! :0

 

[leannak]

I'm interested in this too! We weren't planning on bringing car seats or boosters for our 5 & 7 year olds, since we'll be taking ME from airport. But there is now a chance we'll need to take a taxi (probably a van for all of us) from AKL to hoop dee doo. Should we bring boosters for that??

 

[wilkeliza]

A booster seat is not require for 4- and 5-year-olds. Recommended, but not required.

http://www.sheriff.org/safety/carseat.cfm

Ah I was on Miami's page and they made it sound like a requirement for 5s and under and a suggestion for older kids who are still under 4' 9".

 

[Alesia]

Ah I was on Miami's page and they made it sound like a requirement for 5s and under and a suggestion for older kids who are still under 4' 9".

The language is fuzzy no matter where you look.

 

[TKH]

The language is fuzzy no matter where you look.

The language certainly is fuzzy. I looked online for an answer first, and had a hard time telling what was actually required. My son rides in a regular car seat at home, but we are pretty strict about car seats/boosters. I was thinking of letting him ride in a booster for the trip to/from the Magic Kingdom, but I am just not sure. That Bubblebum a PP mentioned looks interesting, and it comes with a $10 gift card at Target right now, which makes it effectively $29.99 minus 5% if you have a RedCard.

 

[gmeh1]

Does anyone know what requirements Florida has for a 4 year old, 45 pound child? Car seat, booster seat, or nothing?

From the myflorida.com web site.http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes...ng=&URL=0300-0399/0316/Sections/0316.613.html

316.613 Child restraint requirements.—

(1)(a) Every operator of a motor vehicle as defined in this section, while transporting a child in a motor vehicle operated on the roadways, streets, or highways of this state, shall, if the child is 5 years of age or younger, provide for protection of the child by properly using a crash-tested, federally approved child restraint device. For children aged through 3 years, such restraint device must be a separate carrier or a vehicle manufacturer’s integrated child seat. For children aged 4 through 5 years, a separate carrier, an integrated child seat, or a seat belt may be used.

(b) The department shall provide notice of the requirement for child restraint devices, which notice shall accompany the delivery of each motor vehicle license tag.

(2) As used in this section, the term “motor vehicle” means a motor vehicle as defined in s. 316.003 that is operated on the roadways, streets, and highways of the state. The term does not include:
(a) A school bus as defined in s. 316.003(45).

(b) A bus used for the transportation of persons for compensation, other than a bus regularly used to transport children to or from school, as defined in s. 316.615(1)(b), or in conjunction with school activities.

(c) A farm tractor or implement of husbandry.

(d) A truck having a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 26,000 pounds.

(e) A motorcycle, moped, or bicycle.

(3) The failure to provide and use a child passenger restraint shall not be considered comparative negligence, nor shall such failure be admissible as evidence in the trial of any civil action with regard to negligence.

(4) It is the legislative intent that all state, county, and local law enforcement agencies, and safety councils, in recognition of the problems with child death and injury from unrestrained occupancy in motor vehicles, conduct a continuing safety and public awareness campaign as to the magnitude of the problem.

(5) Any person who violates this section commits a moving violation, punishable as provided in chapter 318 and shall have 3 points assessed against his or her driver license as set forth in s. 322.27. In lieu of the penalty specified in s. 318.18 and the assessment of points, a person who violates this section may elect, with the court’s approval, to participate in a child restraint safety program approved by the chief judge of the circuit in which the violation occurs, and, upon completing such program, the penalty specified in chapter 318 and associated costs may be waived at the court’s discretion and the assessment of points shall be waived. The child restraint safety program must use a course approved by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, and the fee for the course must bear a reasonable relationship to the cost of providing the course.

(6) The child restraint requirements imposed by this section do not apply to a chauffeur-driven taxi, limousine, sedan, van, bus, motor coach, or other passenger vehicle if the operator and the motor vehicle are hired and used for the transportation of persons for compensation. It is the obligation and responsibility of the parent, guardian, or other person responsible for a child’s welfare, as defined in s. 39.01(47), to comply with the requirements of this section.

 

[TKH]

From the myflorida.com web site.http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes...ng=&URL=0300-0399/0316/Sections/0316.613.html

316.613 Child restraint requirements.—

(1)(a) Every operator of a motor vehicle as defined in this section, while transporting a child in a motor vehicle operated on the roadways, streets, or highways of this state, shall, if the child is 5 years of age or younger, provide for protection of the child by properly using a crash-tested, federally approved child restraint device. For children aged through 3 years, such restraint device must be a separate carrier or a vehicle manufacturer’s integrated child seat. For children aged 4 through 5 years, a separate carrier, an integrated child seat, or a seat belt may be used.

(b) The department shall provide notice of the requirement for child restraint devices, which notice shall accompany the delivery of each motor vehicle license tag.

(2) As used in this section, the term “motor vehicle” means a motor vehicle as defined in s. 316.003 that is operated on the roadways, streets, and highways of the state. The term does not include:
(a) A school bus as defined in s. 316.003(45).

(b) A bus used for the transportation of persons for compensation, other than a bus regularly used to transport children to or from school, as defined in s. 316.615(1)(b), or in conjunction with school activities.

(c) A farm tractor or implement of husbandry.

(d) A truck having a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 26,000 pounds.

(e) A motorcycle, moped, or bicycle.

(3) The failure to provide and use a child passenger restraint shall not be considered comparative negligence, nor shall such failure be admissible as evidence in the trial of any civil action with regard to negligence.

(4) It is the legislative intent that all state, county, and local law enforcement agencies, and safety councils, in recognition of the problems with child death and injury from unrestrained occupancy in motor vehicles, conduct a continuing safety and public awareness campaign as to the magnitude of the problem.

(5) Any person who violates this section commits a moving violation, punishable as provided in chapter 318 and shall have 3 points assessed against his or her driver license as set forth in s. 322.27. In lieu of the penalty specified in s. 318.18 and the assessment of points, a person who violates this section may elect, with the court’s approval, to participate in a child restraint safety program approved by the chief judge of the circuit in which the violation occurs, and, upon completing such program, the penalty specified in chapter 318 and associated costs may be waived at the court’s discretion and the assessment of points shall be waived. The child restraint safety program must use a course approved by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, and the fee for the course must bear a reasonable relationship to the cost of providing the course.

(6) The child restraint requirements imposed by this section do not apply to a chauffeur-driven taxi, limousine, sedan, van, bus, motor coach, or other passenger vehicle if the operator and the motor vehicle are hired and used for the transportation of persons for compensation. It is the obligation and responsibility of the parent, guardian, or other person responsible for a child’s welfare, as defined in s. 39.01(47), to comply with the requirements of this section.

The part in red is what I wondering about. Do they mean the child needs a real car seat, a booster using the car's seat belt, or just a seat belt if the child is tall enough? Seems like a 4 year old needs more than a seat belt, but maybe the car company was correct in stating that FL law says nothing is needed. We will opt for a booster at minimum, but the language isn't all that clear.

 

[Alesia]

The part in red is what I wondering about. Do they mean the child needs a real car seat, a booster using the car's seat belt, or just a seat belt if the child is tall enough? Seems like a 4 year old needs more than a seat belt, but maybe the car company was correct in stating that FL law says nothing is needed. We will opt for a booster at minimum, but the language isn't all that clear.

It means that you can have them in a car seat, a built in child seat, or just the seat belt.

 

[bumbershoot]

I wouldn't do that anyway for safety's sake, but I wanted to know what was really required. So thanks!

Thank goodness.

We've just kept to our state's requirements. Since we live in WA and those requirements are pretty high, we just brought our seat.

We only got the bubblebum when he was 6.5 and we knew we weren't traveling long enough distances for him to nap or slouch. Because it does no good to have a booster if your child is going to slump down just as you get into an accident, because if the seatbelt isn't hitting the right spot it's not going to go well.

And considering that tons of people on the roads around WDW and Universal are tourists and it's their first time on those roads, and people forget that they can miss an exit and find a new exit to turn around, so people are making high-risk maneuvers all around you....I didn't feel that THAT was the time to experiment with *less* protection for my son.