Illinois Car Seat and Booster Laws" width="569" height="569" />Illinois Car Seat and Booster Laws" width="569" height="569" />
According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, in 2022, a whopping 72% of children travelling by car in Illinois were using car seats incorrectly. This is a massive problem.
Car seats can reduce the risk of injury in a crash by 71%. For fatalities, it's even more. Using a car seat can reduce fatalities for children in car crashes by 71-82%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This means that children who are properly restrained in a car seat are much less likely to die in a car crash than children who are not restrained.
In this guide we will go into detail about what laws Illinois has for car seats, so you can learn what is required and how to use them.
According to Illinois car seat law:
"The Illinois Child Passenger Protection Act mandates that children under 8 years old be appropriately fastened in a child safety seat. Those aged 8 to 15 must be safely strapped in either a seat belt or a child safety seat.
Additionally, it's essential to install all child safety seats following the manufacturer's guidelines.
Here's a more specific age-wise overview of the Illinois Car Seat Law:
It's crucial to understand that these stipulations are the baseline set by the Illinois Car Seat Law. Best practices suggest keeping children in a rear-facing seat until they're 2 years old and meet the seat's height and weight criteria. Furthermore, a booster seat should be used until a child is 4 feet 9 inches tall and can comfortably wear a seat belt. (Source)
The Illinois Child Passenger Protection Act, specifically the Infant/Toddler Car Seat provision, mandates that all infants and toddlers below 2 years old be placed in a rear-facing child safety seat, unless they surpass 40 pounds in weight or 40 inches in height.
This is the same as the Infant/Toddler law, but for clarification:
The Illinois Rear-facing Car Seat Law, which is part of the Child Passenger Protection Act, requires that all children under the age of 2 be secured in a rear-facing child safety seat unless they weigh more than 40 pounds or are more than 40 inches tall.
Children should remain in a rear-facing safety seat for as long as possible. It can be as high as 4 years of age.
