Once we have a child, it is important that we as parents, take initiative to learn safety precautions for our children.  Between safety around the house and safety on the road, we can protect our little ones even better.

If you live in the state of West Virginia, it is important that you learn your state’s car seat laws.  Once you familiarize yourself with them, you can provide additional safety to your child, reduce your risk of getting a traffic violation, and you can reduce your chance of getting a fine.  So, lets take a step in the right direction, and learn them now.

West Virginia Car Seat Laws:

• If your child is 7 years or younger, and is shorter than 4’9″, they must remain in a car seat.
• They must also wear a safety belt until they are older than 7 years, and are taller than 4’9″.
• If you fail to meet these laws, you will receive a fine up to $20 for the first offense.

NOTES:

• It’s always a good idea to keep your baby rear-facing for as long as possible.  A good time to turn them forward-facing would be around 20 lbs and one year old.
• Always make sure that you never use a car seat that was previously owned.  Since it may have been in an accident, may be expired or even recalled, it’s never a good idea – even if you are saving a few pennies.
• Keep an eye on your child’s seat requirements.  Once they have exceeded the weight and height limit, it is crucial that you up grade them to the next seat.

If you have additional car seat questions, check out our FAQs here!

This is just a brief summary of West Virginia’s car seat laws.  Car seat laws may change over time, so it is your responsibility as a parent to keep up with them and check them frequently.