Kansas car seat laws are important to know if you want to keep your children safe while riding in a car. Millions of kids are injured in car accidents, and hundreds are killed annually. The death rate can be reduced by about 75% by using a proper restrained system for children under 8 years.
As a parent, you don’t want to put your little one’s life in danger. Thus it is better to be aware of your state’s car seat laws and protocols. In this way, you will increase the potential of saving your young ones from deaths and injuries, and at the same time, you will become a responsible citizen of your city.
This article will look at Kansas car seat laws and the use of the different types of car seats like infant car seats, rear-facing, forward-facing, or booster car seats depending upon the age, weight, or height of children. Proper understanding and being comfortable with Kansas car seat laws are the elite method to ensure that your children are safe during your whole journey.
Read out the article below to understand the demands and requirements of each kind of car seat while traveling in Kansas.
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Kansas Car Seat Laws
Kansas car seat laws are simple; children under 8 years must use a proper restraint system. An appropriate restraint system depends on your children’s age, weight, and height. According to Kansas car seat laws, Children under 12 must use infant-only car seats placed in the car’s back seat.
According to car seat requirements in Kansas:
- Children or infants under 1 year and weighing up to 20 pounds should be in rear-facing car seats.
- Toddlers from 1 to 3 years old and weighing up to 20 to 40 pounds must be in forward-facing car seats.
- Kids 4 to 8 years old and weighing 40 to 100 pounds must be in booster car seats as long as they are shorter than 4’9″.
- Children below 14 years and older than 8 years can sit in the front seat.
- All car seats must be restrained through a harness strap for infants or toddlers and a safety belt for children of 4 years and older.
Four Main Kansas Car Seat Stages
1. Rear-Facing Car Seats For Infants:
For children below 12 months
2. Forward-Facing Car Seat For Toddlers
For children of 1 to 3 years
3. Booster Seat
For children of 4 to 7 years
4. Seat Belt
For children of age 8 to 13, along with a 5-point harness system.
Kansas Rear-Facing Car Seat Law
According to Kansas rear-facing car seat law, children can use a rear-facing car seat from birth to under 4 years and until weighing up to 20 pounds.
Parents should keep their children in rear-facing car seats as long as possible because these sweats are safer than forward-facing car seats. Children can move to forward-facing car seats when they outgrow the height and weight limits set by the seat manufacturers.
Convertible car seats or infant-only car seats are usually used in rear-facing positions. Infant car seats are easily portable and designed for newborns and tiny babies. After your baby exceeds the infant car seat limit (12 months), he can move to a convertible car seat or 3 in 1 car seat placed in the rear-facing position.
Forward-facing car seats can be used for kids up to 1 to 3 years or heavy or tall children once they outgrow the convertible car seat limits(20 to 40 pounds). Rear-facing seat’s harness straps should be at or below shoulder level. The harness keeps the child tightly cradled and secured in the seat during a car crash, and it reduces the chances of injury to the spinal cord and neck.
Kansas Forward-Facing Car Seat Laws
According to Kansas car seat laws, children from 1 to 4 years can be moved to a forward-facing car seat when they exceed the limits of rear-facing car seats. This seat must have a teether and harness because they limit the child’s forward movement during an accident. This type of seat can hold a child up to 65 pounds.
This means a child can stay in forward-facing car seats until the age of 7, and it also depends on the child’s growth rate. The seat should be placed in the back seat of the car with a shoulder strap installed just above the shoulder of the child.
Booster Seat Laws
Kansas car seat laws require children aged from 4 to 7 years weighing under 80 pounds or 4’9″ tall to ride in a booster car seat placed in the car’s back seat. Booster seats must be equipped with lap belts and shoulder belts. Use of only seat belts is not allowed. Children must be kept in a forward seat as long as possible. Once the child reaches the upper weight and height limit, they should be transferred to a booster seat.
When it comes to booster seats, most experts recommend focusing on height because children of height less than 4’9″ may not fit in regular seat belts. Booster seats must be placed in the car’s back seat. The seat belt should properly fit across the most vital parts of the body. there are a few exemptions to the use of booster seats:
- If the weight of the child is more than 80 pounds
- If children are taller than 4’9″
- If only a lap belt is accessible
Children who meet these weight and height requirements must use a seat belt for better safety.
Seat Belt Law In Kansas
According to the Kansas seat belt law, children after the age of 8 can start using a seat belt. It is recommended that children use the back seat until the age of 13, and they must be at least 4’9″ in height and weigh 80 pounds before moving to a standard seat belt. The children should be big enough to fit in the seat belt properly.
The lap belt should snugly fit across the child’s upper thighs, and the shoulder belt should secure across the chest and shoulder and not cross the face and neck. If the seat belt does not fit across the child properly or the child does not fulfill these parameters, he should be restrained in the back seat. Parents should ensure that the child must satisfy the 5-point harness test before using the car’s installed seat belt.
- The child’s back is against the car’s back seat
- Child’s knees can easily bend at the edge of the seat
- The lap belt fits on the top of the thighs
- The shoulder belt fits between the shoulders and neck and over the chest
- The child can sit accurately without shambling
Front Seat Law In Kansas
Children from 14 to 18 years old can sit in the front seat of a car. However, as per the traffic safety resource officer, Kansas children under 12 years should sit in the vehicle’s back seat. The backseat is the safest seat of the car for children because airbags present in front seats can be dangerous for kids in case of an accident.
The child should be mature enough to wear and fit in the seat belt to sit in the front seat, typically at 4’9″.
A good fit means the lap belt should snugly fit across the upper thighs, and the shoulder belt should lie between the shoulder and chest. The parents should slide the front seat back as far as possible to prevent the child from the impact of airbags.
Leaving Child Unattended In Car Law In Kansas
Kansas has no clear law on leaving a child alone in the car. Leaving a child alone in a vehicle is illegal for an extended time in private cars, but it is not recommended. People in daycare home businesses are not allowed to leave the child unattended for those under 10 years. According to Senate Bill No. 77, drivers cannot leave children below 5 years alone in the car for more than 5 minutes.
Smoke In A Car with A Child Law In Kansas?
Kansas car seat laws have no specific law on smoking in a car in the presence of a child. However, according to Kansas Indoor Clean Air Act, smoking is illegal in taxis. Also, in some parts of Kansas, smoking is illegal. Smoking in vehicles is not recommended because secondhand smoke can be dangerous for children’s health. Secondhand smoke can cause cancer and increase the risk of asthma, respiratory illness, SIDS, and ear infections.
Taxi Car Seat Law In Kansas
Taxis are exempt from the Kansas car seat laws, and they don’t need to follow the rules.
Replacement After Accident
Kansas car seat laws do not have any specific law regarding the replacement of car seats after an accident. Instead, parents should refer to car seat manufacturers’ guidelines. There are also some institutes where you can find some guidelines regarding what to do in case of accidents.
Penalties For The Violations
Any violation of the Kansas car seat laws will result in a fine of $60 plus court costs. If the court provides proof, like purchasing a proper safety car seat for children, the penalty can be relinquished, but the court cost will still apply. The maximum fine for violation for first seat belt violation under age 14 to 17 is $60 and for older than 17 is $30. there is no violation if only a lap belt is available and if there are more children in the car than several securing locations in proper use.
Final Thoughts
We hope this article helps you understand Kansas car seat laws and keep your child safe while traveling on the road. Kansas car seat laws are designed to save your children while riding as well as these laws prevent you from heavy penalties.
Kansas car seat laws require all children under 13 years to be secured in a proper child restraint system according to their height, age, and weight.
While traveling on roads, child safety directly depends upon the type of car seat they are sitting in. Be sure to refer to car seat manuals and the manufacturer’s guidelines when buying any seat in Kansas.
Children must wear a safety belt if they are not using a car seat or booster seat; also, adults should wear a seat belt for safety. backseat is the safest seat for the children, so remember that children should sit there as long as possible. Parents can protect their loved ones from injuries and death and walk away unharmed in car crashes by following car seat laws.