Are you living in Maryland? Do you have plans to drive around Maryland with your baby? Before you go out and tour your baby around the state of Maryland, note first that just like the other places in the world, Maryland has its own child safety seat laws. These laws are passed and maintained by the authority itself for every adult to comply so to avoid children’s deaths and injuries caused by car crashes. The Maryland child safety seat laws have been around for years now. It was made effective on October 1, 2003, for people to follow the rules to maintain safety for children on the road.
There is one main requirement covered under the Maryland child safety seat laws. The requirement states that all children younger than six years old must be secured in a child safety seat that is approved by the federal standards and installed according to the safety seat and vehicle instructions of the manufacturer. This requirement applies to all children of the said age regardless of weight.
Also, if a seven-year-old child weighs only 37 pounds, or a 3 -year old child weighs 42 pounds, he or she would be required to use a federally approved child safety seat. It is important to note that under the MD child safety seat laws, the term child safety seat includes not only the infant seats, convertible seat, and forward-facing seats, but also booster seats. The term federally approved refers to those seats that fit a certain child’s size, age, and weight.
It is further worth noting that those who are traveling with a vehicle that is registered outside the state are still subject to the rules set by the Maryland child safety seat laws which apply to children aged younger than 4 years, regardless of weight and age. In addition to this, it is maintained by the MD child safety seat laws that an adult is not allowed to bring and transport a child younger than 16 years of age unless the child is secured in a child safety seat or on a seat belt. Children below this said age are not even allowed to ride in an unenclosed cargo bed of a pickup truck.
If, for instance, a violation of the Maryland child safety seat laws is noted, the vehicle can be stopped and the driver issued a citation for a violation. Along with this, the driver is required to pay a fine. At present, drivers who bring children but failed to buckle up the child or allowed the child to ride in an unenclosed cargo pick up truck bed are subject to pay $48 to $50 as fines for the violation of the Maryland child safety seat laws.
To avoid unfavorable consequences, don’t forget to buckle up your child in a federally approved safety seat when traveling in Maryland. Conform to the rules.