Washington Car Seat Law
Washington state car seat laws require that all children under 4 feet 9 inches must use a car seat or booster seat. Kids under 2 must be rear-facing.
Written by Bonnie Stinson
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
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Washington car seat laws require that children over 4 years of age—and smaller than 4 feet 9 inches—must use an appropriate child restraint system. Children under 2 years old must be rear-facing, and children between 2 and 4 years old must use a car seat with a harness.
Breaking car seat laws could earn you fines and put young passengers in danger.
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What is the car seat law in Washington?
Children smaller than 4 feet 9 inches must use a federally approved child restraint system (AKA a car seat) in Washington.
Washington child car seat laws say that children younger than 2 years old must use a rear-facing car seat. State laws say that children between 2 and 4 years old should use a car seat with a harness, whether rear or front-facing.
Experts recommend that children use a booster seat in the back seat for as long as possible while following the manufacturer’s guidelines.
Key Takeaway Children smaller than 4 feet 9 inches need to ride in a federally approved child restraint system in Washington, and children under 2 must be rear-facing.
What are the penalties for breaking the car seat law in Washington?
It’s considered a primary infraction to break the car seat law in Washington. You will be charged a citation and a fine up to $112 for every child not wearing an appropriate restraint.
Key Takeaway Breaking the car seat law in Washington will earn you a $112 fine.
Can breaking the car seat law impact my driving record?
You will not get points added to your record if you break the Washington State car seat laws.
How breaking car seat laws can impact insurance in Washington
A ticket for breaking the Washington child car seat laws will not result in any points on your driving record.
However, you must pay your fine immediately. If you don’t, it could negatively impact your credit score. In Washington, car insurance companies look at your credit score when calculating your premium.
So the lower your credit goes, the higher your car insurance payment could potentially be.
Tickets also appear on your driver abstract, which your insurance company may have access to. That means if you wrack up lots of tickets, it could potentially impact your insurance premiums (and not for the better).
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