Tennessee Law on Child Restraint Seats in a Car
When it comes to child passenger safety legislation, Tennessee is on the cutting edge. Not only was Tennessee the first state in the nation to implement a child restraint law, but, as of June 2010, it is the toughest in the country, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA).
Other People Are Reading
-
History
-
Tennessee implemented the nation's first child restraint law in 1978, according to the state's Department of Safety. Over the years, Tennessee has adjusted its law in line with consensus from child passenger safety experts. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt reports that between 1998 and 2003, 12,846 Tennessee children, 15 years of age or younger, suffered injury or died in traffic crashes because they were not properly restrained. The state responded in 2004 by adding a booster seat law to its child restraint regulations.
Age and Weight Parameters
-
Tennessee law requires drivers to secure children, under 1 year of age or less than 20 lbs., in a rear-facing child restraint device. You must keep children between the ages of 1 and 3 who weigh more than 20 lbs. in a forward-facing car seat. At age 4, the booster seat law becomes relevant. Your child must ride in a booster seat in Tennessee until his ninth birthday. As the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) points out, the state permits seat belt use for children between the ages of 9 and 15. If your child is 12 years old or younger and taller than 4 feet 9 inches, she may utilize a seat belt only. If available, children under the age of 9 and less than 4 feet 9 inches tall must ride in the back seat.
-
Enforcement
-
Tennessee punishes violators of its child restraint law with a $50 fine. The court can also require you to attend an education class that focuses on the proper use and importance of child passenger safety systems. A judge can include a class in addition to the monetary fine or in place of it.
Considerations
-
Unlike other state's child restraint laws, Tennessee provides few exceptions to its rules. It does allow children with special medical or physical circumstances to ride in a "specially modified, professionally manufactured restraint system." You must keep a copy of a certified doctor's prescription requiring such a device with you when you travel. The law also requires rental car companies to provide appropriate child restraint devices to customers "at a reasonable rate." Prior to discharging newborn babies, hospitals must inform parents of Tennessee's child restraint law and provide them with relevant literature on the law from the Department of Safety.
Comparison
-
GHSA keeps track of state child restraint laws. The toughest laws in the nation require booster seat use until your child turns 8 years old. Tennessee, as of June 2010, is the lone exception. It is the only state in the U.S. that requires booster seats through age 8 up until your child's ninth birthday. As the Department of Safety explains, child passenger safety experts recommend using a booster seat until your child reaches 4 feet 9 inches tall. Many children do not reach this height milestone until after they turn 8 years old.
-
References
- Tennessee Department of Safety: Child Restraint Safety
- Tennessee Department of Safety: Child Restraint Facts
- Tennessee Traffic Safety Resource Service: Child Restraint Law
- Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS): Laws & regulations summary: Tennessee
- Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA): Child Passenger Safety Laws, 2010
