One of the most dangerous activities people do daily is traveling by vehicle. While you can’t control what other drivers do, you can control what you do. And one of the safest choices you can make for your child in a vehicle is to secure them in a properly sized child safety seat.
When properly installed, child safety seats can reduce the risk of death by 71 percent for infants and 54 percent for toddlers, according to the CDC.
That’s why we urge you — Buckle up, South Carolina. Every trip. Every time.
Child Safety Seat Laws in South Carolina
South Carolina law requires every driver of a motor vehicle operated on the highways and streets of the state to properly secure every child under 8 years old in the vehicle in an appropriate-sized child passenger restraint system.
For all children under the age of 13, the back seat is the safest place for them to ride. They are better protected from head-on collisions, which constitute about 60 percent of all crashes.
In addition, they are not at risk for being injured by the passenger air bag, which is designed for adult protection in conjunction with a seat belt. However, if a motor vehicle lacks a rear passenger seat, or if all of its rear seating positions are occupied by children under eight years of age, a child under eight years of age may be transported in the front seat of the motor vehicle if the child is secured properly in an appropriate child passenger safety restraint system or belt-positioning booster seat as described.
Remember — you are responsible for operating your vehicle in a safe manner so make sure you and your passengers — especially children — are properly buckled up.
Read more information on child passenger safety laws in South Carolina here.
Child Safety Seat Facts
- Car crashes are a leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 13.
- In 2024, nine children under the age of six were occupants of a vehicle involved in a traffic collision in South Carolina. Only 5 of the 9 children were in a child safety seat.
- In 2017, 325 children under the age of 5 were saved by car seats.
- South Carolina law requires children to be in an approved safety seat until they reach the age of 8 or a height of 57 inches.
Child Safety Seat Selection
Car seats and booster seats are the basic protection systems for passengers who are too small to get the full safety benefits from adult seat belts. The goal of car seats is to provide small children with the same protection, or better, that adults obtain from seat belts and other safety equipment built into a vehicle. They are designed to keep children within the vehicle and close to their original seating position to prevent contact with harmful interior surfaces or other occupants and to provide “ride-down” by gradually decelerating the child as the vehicle deforms and absorbs energy from crash forces. For this to work properly, the right seat must be selected for the child’s height, weight, and developmental levels.
