I think a child of any age can legally sit in the front seat, as long as they are properly restrained. Here's a summary of NC child passenger safety laws: http://www.buckleupnc.org/laws_cps.cfm
Thank you for the information. It does state "Whenever possible, keep children younger than age 13 buckled up in a rear seat of the vehicle." It doesn't sound like it's a law. I have an 11 year old that is wanting to sit in the front seat now. Do any of you allow your child of that age to sit in the front seat?
It would depend upon the size of the kid for me. 11 is about the age when I started allowing my son to sit up front - but he was a good size kid. Just keep in mind, the safest place for *anybody* is the back seat.
well i am a grandma and i let my 10 and 11yo grandkids sit in the front seat and Mom and Dad have not had a problem
Consider the fact that if you have a single cab pickup truck, you have no choice but to buckle in the front seat. I think common sense rules here. If you can shut off the pass. airbag and push the seat as far back as possible, then its okay. Sure, the back seat is statistically safer but I could see some situations where I'd rather have my child in the front seat to keep an eye on 'em.
My mom drives a Miata (two seats only) and she asked the police if it was okay for my daughter (7 years old) to ride with her in a booster seat and they said no. It is against the law. Fortunately my mom has another vehicle with a backseat. I wondered the same thing. Also, is it true that once a kid turns 8 they can ride in the back with no car/booster seat? I heard 80 pounds or 8 years old. My daughter is 7 and only weighs 45 pounds so I can't imagine her making it to 80 pounds anytime soon!
miata = death trap 8) the airbag in cars, if deployed, will kill a smaller framed child. It'll snap their necks. For me, for the front seat, it was when their shoulders where aligned with the shoulders of the actual seat. For the booster seat, it's the law, 8 yrs. old or 80 lbs.
Good luck getting the right answer. I once asked two different cops who were standing together and got two different answers. I walked away while they were still arguing about it. I didn't want an opinion - I wanted to know the law!
I think KDsGrandma's link spells it out. Of course, that isn't to say that a LEO isn't going to issue a ticket based on his own judgement. Then, the burden of proof is on the person who has to either go fight the ticket or simply pay it. Find the General Statute that applies, print it out to a hard copy and keep it in your glove compartment.
I went through a spell right after this law was passed where my health problems caused me to drop to 85 pounds. I was worried I was going to have to go out and get a booster seat. Fortunately I didn't dip below the 85 pounds and gained my weight back after starting some medicines. I don't remember if it's 8 & 80 .. or 8 or 80.
I too, have small children - my 10 year old weighs only 62 pounds. I have asked this question to several different law enforcement officers and have gotten the "8 OR 80 pounds" and the "8 AND 80 pounds" so I looked it up online and have found out that both are answers that you get from the same site. Here is what I have found. Is it "8 OR 80" or "8 AND 80"??? The issue of who is required to be in a child restraint or booster seat and who can legally use just the vehicle safety belt can be confusing. The answer lies in which question is being asked: Q: Is my child required to be in a booster seat or other child restraint? A: Children who are both less than age 8 AND less than 80 pounds are required to be in some type of child restraint. "Some type of child restraint" includes booster seats. Q: When can I switch my child to just a safety belt without a booster seat? A: When a child reaches age 8 (regardless of weight) OR reaches 80 pounds (regardless of age), a properly fitted safety belt may be used instead of a child restraint/booster to restrain the child. Note, however, that placing the shoulder belt under a child’s (or adult’s) arm or behind the back is both dangerous and illegal. I guess you can do whichever you choose as long as the shoulder belt fits the child well. Karen
Supposedly the better way to get an answer is to go the source, but the confusion in interpretation may be an issue. If you look closely at the answers you will see the "or" choice is decider as to whether the booster seat can be removed. If neither requirement for removal is met then the seat must be used. The same "and" applies for if the child is over 8 years old and 80 pounds. No seat is required. If one of the choices for removal is met the seat may be removed, but in the case of a shoulder belt there may need to be an adjuster added to make it safe and legal. And the child is either over 8 or under 80 pounds. If the child is 79.5 pounds and 7-1/5 years old it should be in a booster seat to prevent a fine.
I know it's confusing. Here is the relevant portion of the law: Parsing the first sentence, what children are covered by this law? A child less than 8 years of age and less than 80 pounds. If both conditions are not present, the child is not covered. If your 6-year-old weighs 85 pounds, then he is not under age 8 and under 80 pounds, so he is not covered. If your 9 year old weighs 75 pounds, he is not under age 8 and under 80 pounds, so he is not covered. Whether it is "and" or "or" depends on what question is asked. What children are required to be in child restraint systems? Children under age 8 and under 80 pounds. What children are not required to be in child restraint systems? Children over age 8 or over 80 pounds. Those are not contradictions, but different ways to state the same facts. The entire text of NCGS 20-137.1 can be found here, among other places.
