Car Accidents and Louisiana’s Child Restraint Laws

Getting into a car crash is bad enough, but when there are children in the car, an accident can be devastating. In order to keep your children safe while in the car, you need to drive safely, obey all traffic laws, and follow the Louisiana child restraint laws.

Louisiana Car Seat Safety Statistics

According to statistics, car accidents are a leading cause of death among children under the age of 12. Car restraint laws have been put in place in an effort to curb these tragic statistics.

In Louisiana, we take our children’s safety very seriously. Child seats can reduce the risk of death for children under the age of 1 by 71 percent. For toddlers between the ages of 1 and 4, car seats can prevent 54% of deaths from accidents.

Because car seats are so effective in protecting children involved in car accidents, the State of Louisiana has made them compulsory.

The Day Law Group is here to help. Contact us online or give us a call at 225-200-0000 to get started on your case.

Child Restraint Laws in Louisiana

Louisiana law not only mandates that children must be in proper car seats, but it takes the guessing out of whether your child should face forward or backward when riding in the car.

The law requires that:

• Children from birth to at least 1-year-old OR children who weigh less than 20 pounds – ride in rear-facing infant seats or rear-facing convertible seats.
• Children aged 1 year to 4 years, OR who weigh 20 to 40 pounds, must ride in forward-facing convertible or combination seats (meaning those used with the internal harness).
• Children from 4-6 years old AND who weigh 40 to 60 pounds should be in belt-positioning booster seats (backless or high-backed).
• Children 6 years old AND who weigh more than 60 pounds can ride in the backseat using the vehicle’s lap-shoulder belt or belt-positioning booster seat.

What Happens if You Do Not Follow Car Seat Laws in Louisiana?

Not having your child/children restrained in the proper child safety seat for his/her age and weight can result in serious legal consequences. If you are convicted of a child safety seat offense in Louisiana, you may be ticketed and fined— and you can expect the fines to go up significantly with each offense.

If you are convicted of breaking a child safety seat law, you will be required to prove to the State that you have remedied the problem by proving you have acquired the appropriate child safety seat. This means you must submit a properly notarized Child Restraint Affidavit to the state within 30 days proving you have acquired the correct child safety seat if you want to avoid having your driving license suspended.

Experienced Car Accident Lawyers in Louisiana

If you or someone you know has been in a car accident, contact Day Law Group. We are personal injury attorneys who handle car accident cases. We have offices in Baton Rouge, and we serve Baker, Gonzales, Port Allen, New Orleans, Zachary, and several other cities in Louisiana.

We offer free consultations and we don’t get paid unless you win your case. To schedule your free consultation, dial 225-200-0000 or contact us online today.