Maryland's child safety seat laws
Following are Maryland's child passenger safety laws:
- Any child who is under 4 years old or who weighs 40 pounds or less must be in a federally approved safety seat, according to the safety seat and vehicle manufacturer's instructions.
- No one can transport a child under 16 unless the child is in a safety seat, or belted in.
- Children under 16 may not ride in an unenclosed cargo bed of a pickup truck.
Safety seat requirements are as follows:
- Reclining infant seats for children up to 20 pounds must be rear-facing.
- Convertible seats for children less than a year old must be rear-facing.
- Convertible seats for children one year to about 4 years old and 40 pounds should be forward-facing.
- Booster seats should be used during the period in which a child outgrows a safety seat (40 pounds) but cannot properly fit in a seat belt (about 60 pounds).
