Seat Belts and Safety Restraints

Seat Belts and Safety Restraints

• Wisconsin Statute 347.48 explains the mandatory use of seat belts and the appropriate use of child safety seats.
• Seat belts are the simplest and most effective tools we have to reduce highway fatalities and serious, life altering injuries.
• Children ages four to eight must be restrained in a vehicle seat belt or car safety seat.
• No one may transport a child unless the child is properly restrained, meaning it must be fastened in a manner prescribed by the manufacturer of the system, which permits the system to act as a body restraint.

WI locations for booster and car seat fitting stations:

Car seat installation locations

Guidelines

Wisconsin law provides that all persons transporting children must have the children properly restrained to comply with the following criteria:

Rear-facing child safety seat in the back seat* is required when the child:
 

• is less than 1 year old or
• weighs less than 20 pounds

Forward -facing child safety seat in the back seat* is required when the child:

• is at least 1 year old but less than 4 years old
• weighs at least 20 pounds but less than 40 pounds

Booster seat is required when the child:

• is at least 4 years old but less than 8 years old
• weighs at least 40 pounds but less than 80 pounds
• is not 57 inches (4 feet, 9 inches) or taller

Safety belt is required when the child:

• is 8 years old or older or
• weighs 80 or more pounds or
• is 57 inches or taller

*Child safety seat must be in the back seat if the vehicle is equipped with a back seat.