7.1 Seat Belts, Child Safety Seats & Air Bags
Key Takeaways
By law, the driver and all passengers must wear a seat belt or be buckled in a child safety seat.
The driver is responsible for themselves and every passenger under 16; passengers 16 and older are responsible for their own belts, and rear-seat belt enforcement for them is secondary.
Children under 8 must ride in a child safety seat unless they are 4 feet 9 inches or taller; children under 2 must ride rear-facing until they reach the seat maker's height or weight limit.
Never put a rear-facing child seat in the front seat of a vehicle with a passenger air bag, and keep children under 13 buckled in the back seat.
Sit as far back from the steering wheel as possible, ideally 10 to 12 inches between the wheel and your chest.
Why Seat Belts Come First
The manual's Buckled Up campaign calls the seat belt the single most effective way to prevent death and serious injury in a crash. About 90 percent of Maryland drivers and passengers buckle up, and the goal is 100 percent. Each year hundreds of unbelted people are seriously injured or killed on Maryland roads, and most of those injuries and deaths could have been avoided. Buckling up takes about three seconds.
In a crash, the car stops suddenly but an unbelted person keeps moving until they hit the steering wheel, dashboard, windshield, another passenger, or the road outside. A belt holds you in place so the vehicle's crumple zones and air bags can protect you.
Maryland's Seat Belt Law
By law, the driver and all passengers must wear a safety belt or be buckled in a child safety seat. Transportation Article § 22-412.3 divides the responsibility:
| Who | Responsible person | Enforcement |
|---|---|---|
| Driver | The driver | Primary: an officer may stop you for it alone |
| Passengers under 16 | The driver | Primary |
| Front-seat passengers 16 and older | The passenger | Primary |
| Rear-seat passengers 16 and older | The passenger | Secondary: enforced only when the driver is stopped for another violation |
The fine for a seat belt violation is up to $50.
Provisional drivers under 18 have an extra restriction: you must always wear a belt, and all your passengers must use belts or child safety seats (see Section 1.4). Not fastening your belt on the driving test is an automatic failure.
Wearing the Belt Correctly
- The lap belt goes low and snug across the hips, not across the stomach.
- The shoulder belt crosses the chest and collarbone, never under the arm or behind the back.
- Pregnant women should place the lap part of the belt under the abdomen, as low as possible on the hips and across the upper thighs, never across the belly itself.
Child Safety Seats
Under § 22-412.2 and the manual:
| Child | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Under 2 years | Rear-facing child safety seat meeting federal standards, until the child reaches the height or weight limit set by the seat's manufacturer |
| Under 8 years | Must ride in a child safety seat, such as a car seat or booster seat, unless the child is 4 feet 9 inches or taller |
| Under 16 years | Must be secured in a child safety seat or seat belt, and the driver is responsible |
You must follow all instructions from the child seat's manufacturer and the vehicle's manufacturer. Child safety seats include car seats, booster seats and other federally approved devices. The fine is $50; a first violation for placing a child under 2 in a seat that is not rear-facing brings a written warning.
Help Getting a Seat
If you cannot buy or get a child safety seat, contact Kids In Safety Seats (KISS) at the Maryland Department of Health, 800-370-SEAT. KISS coordinates programs that rent car seats or booster seats at low cost to families who cannot afford them, although seats may not be available everywhere at all times.
Air Bags
Air bags protect you in crashes, but they deploy with great force. For the best protection:
- Use them with your lap and shoulder belt. Air bags are designed to work with belts, not instead of them.
- Sit as far back from the steering wheel as possible, keeping 10 to 12 inches between the wheel and your chest.
- Never put a child in a rear-facing car seat in the front seat of a vehicle with a passenger air bag. The air bag can strike the back of the seat right where the baby's head is.
- Children under 13 should ride buckled up in a rear seat, in a child safety seat or with a seat belt.
Common Mistakes
- Moving a child from a booster to a belt only because of age, before the belt fits correctly.
- Letting the shoulder belt slip behind a child's back because it rubs the neck; a booster fixes the fit.
- Using an adult belt over loose, bulky winter coats, which leaves slack; tighten straps and use a blanket over the child instead.
- Letting adults ride unbelted in the back seat on short trips.
Scenario Practice
- You drive your 15-year-old cousin, who refuses to buckle up. You, the driver, can be cited, because passengers under 16 are your responsibility.
- A 7-year-old who is 4 feet 10 inches tall rides with you. The child may use the vehicle's seat belt, though the back seat is still the safest place.
- A friend wants to put their infant's rear-facing seat in your front seat, which has an air bag. Do not; put the seat in the back.
- Your adult friend in the back seat is unbuckled. It is still illegal, and you can be cited if stopped for something else.
Under Maryland law, until when must a child ride in a child safety seat?
Until age 5 or 40 pounds
Until age 12, regardless of height
Until age 8, unless the child is 4 feet 9 inches or taller
Only while under age 2
Who is legally responsible for making sure a 14-year-old passenger wears a seat belt?
The driver
The 14-year-old
The vehicle's owner, even if not present
No one, if the passenger is in the back seat
How far should you sit from the steering wheel for the best air bag protection, according to the manual?
2 to 4 inches
As close as possible, as long as you can reach the pedals comfortably
About 24 inches
10 to 12 inches between the wheel and your chest
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.