Indiana Car Seat Laws: Updated

According to the Child Passenger Safety in Indiana, All children aged 8 and younger must be correctly and safely restrained in a booster seat or car seat.  While Children weighing 30 pounds may use a booster seat, it is advised they are seated in a forward-facing seat until their weight is 40 pounds. All children in Indiana below 16 years old must be correctly and safely restrained either by using a child restraint system which includes booster seats, or a seat belt.

Indiana car seat laws provide that, everyone in a vehicle must be adequately restrained as long as the vehicle is in motion. Vehicle Occupants 16 years and above must wear a seat belt. Children under 16 years of age are required to use boosters and car seats appropriate for their age, height, and weight. Car seats and booster seats are made to protect babies and children in a vehicle during a crash.

What Are Indiana’s Child Restraint And Booster Seat Laws?

According to the Indiana Legislative Laws, occupants of a moving motor vehicle must use a safety belt that  “meets the standards stated in the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Number 208 (49 CFR 571.208).”

Which states that-“is standard belt installed by the manufacturer; shall have a safety belt appropriately fastened about the occupant’s body at all times when the vehicle is moving.” 

That is according to the Indiana car seat laws as stated above, every occupant of a moving vehicle irrespective of age, weight, and height must have a safety belt fastened appropriately, the infants will use the rear-facing infant car seat or 3-in-1 car seats, while children above 4 years are made to seat on booster seats and fastened to the car. 

Children above 16 years and are up to 40 pounds and adults are also expected to fasten their seat belts in a moving vehicle. Let’s look at the various Indiana Car Seat Laws

 Indiana Rear Facing Car Seat Law

Infants below one year and weighing less than 20 pounds must be placed and restrained safely in a rear-facing child safety seat. Many recent versions of car seats have about 30-35 pounds rear-facing restraint limit.

As advised by the Indiana State Police, parents should keep their children rear-facing for as long as it takes.  Proper installation of the rear-facing car seat is also essential according to Indiana car seat laws. To have a good infant-rear facing car seat always go to the right source.

Indiana Booster Car Seat Law

Children weighing 30 pounds are required to use an approved booster seat. However, it is advised that parents let their children remain restrained in a forward-facing seat until they weigh 40 pounds.

Indiana law states that all children below the age of eight are required to use a child restraint system following the child restraint system manufacturer’s instruction, suitable and safe for the child’s weight and height.

Therefore, the booster seat is the ideal child restraint system for children within this age bracket. Also, children below 16 years old should be correctly restrained either by using an approved seat belt or booster seat.

 Indiana Car Seat Laws for Trucks

Indiana car seat laws do not specifically mention how to ride in a truck with your child. It is generally safest to keep your child in the back seat to protect them.

However, if you drive with your child in a truck, follow the other rules for car seat safety.

Children under one should remain rear-facing. All children under the age of eight must be in the proper car seat or booster seat, even in front of a truck.

Most trucks have wide enough seats to handle both rear and forward-facing child seats. Keep the child away from active airbags if possible. If the vehicle has a back seat, the child must sit back there. If the truck does not, follow all other car seat laws in Indiana to keep them safe.

 Enforcement of Indiana Car Seat Laws

Indiana car seat laws provide several provisions that will make a violator be sanctioned.  Indiana state police are saddled with the responsibility to enforce the law.  Anyone found to have violated the law will be arrested by the police and taken to court.  

According to Indiana car seat laws it is an offense to be in a moving vehicle without proper restraint for adults and children.  Proper installation is also essential; if a restraint system is not properly installed there is a sanction for that as well.  It can be interesting and fun being on the road with your loved ones, what is more, it is wonderful that everyone is safe.

 Penalties for Violating Indiana Car Seat Laws

Penalties for violating Indiana car seat laws will include fines that parents and other caregivers must pay. Points will also be added to your license. When enough points are on your license, you may have it suspended or taken away.

The Indiana code 9-19-11-2 provided that a child below eight (8) years of age and above eight (8) years but less than sixteen(16) years is not properly restrained according to the restraint system manufacturer’s instruction and will be found guilty of class D infraction.  Class D infraction makes an offender liable for paying a fine of $25

 Exceptions To Indiana Car Seat Laws

The Indiana car seat law also gave an exception, which is if the child has a physical condition or medical condition that makes the use of a booster seat or seat belt practically impossible at the time of the arrest.  This claim has to be backed by a certificate from a physician, physician assistant, or advanced nurse.

The other exception is if a child weighs 40 pounds and above and over eight (8) years and is seen wearing a lap belt because the car 3-point safety belt is not present in the car or it is being used for children below the age of sixteen(16)

All the fine collected from violators of the law goes to the Indiana State’s Restraint System account. 

No one will like to be stopped and made to pay a fine with their loved ones present in the car.  As such if you are a resident of Indiana State or just passing through and there is a child passenger in your car get acquainted with the car safety laws of the state to avoid sanction and also possible serious injury or even death of that little angel in your car.

Indiana Car Seat Law and Car Insurance Policy

In Indiana State, all cars are to be insured, the Indiana car insurance policy covers bodily injuries, medical payments and damaged property; making a car seat to be replaceable if installed in the car involved in an auto crash by your insurance company.   

Indiana has a fault-based insurance system, making the person that caused an accident to be held liable for damages done in an accident they have caused.  In such a situation, the driver a-t fault’s insurance replaces the car seat if damaged in the auto crash.

 Final Thought

The Indiana car seat law  requires all children below the age of eight to use a child restraint system following the child restraint system manufacturer’s instruction, suitable and safe for the child’s weight and height.

The choice of an infant rear-facing car seat, forward-facing car seat, or Booster car seat depends mainly on your child’s age, weight, height, and type of your vehicle.

Have given detail on Indiana car seat laws to ensure you have all the necessary information before you carry a child passenger in your car as a resident or a passerby. Areas covered are-

Indiana infant car seat laws

Booster car seat law

Forward-facing car seat laws 

Enforcement

Penalties

I have stated some of the Indiana car seat laws to get you acquainted with the car seat laws in order not to fall victim to sanctions and probable fines or lose a passenger.