According to Kansas State Law, until children reach seven years old or 80 pounds and 4’9”, they must be secured in a safety restraint system that fits the seat manufacturer’s specification and complies with United States Department of Transportation Standards.
While you don’t have to worry about lions, tigers, and bears as you drive around Kansas, you do have to seriously consider state’s child safety seat laws. If you have no idea what Kansas’s laws are, however, don’t fear! We’ll go over the main points you need to know about the Sunflower State’s child safety seat rules in this article. All of the information below will help parents travel confidently all around Kansas—unless, of course, you end up in the Land of Oz…in which case you’d better follow the yellow brick road!
Kansas Child Safety Seat Laws
- Infants younger than one year old must be placed in a rear-facing safety restraint in the car’s back seat.
- Children between the ages of one and three can transition to a forward-facing restraint if they exceed the rear-facing manufacturer’s height & weight recommendations. (This should not happen until they are 2 or older)
- Once a child turns four and is above the forward-facing seat manufacturer’s recommendations for height & weight, s/he can move on to a booster seat.
- Kansas law states that children between four and seven years old can only use the car’s back seat belt if they weigh over 80 pounds and are taller than 4’9”.
Additionally, drivers are responsible for all passengers under 18 being properly secured for their height and weight.
State troopers can charge any driver caught with passengers violating the above laws with a $60 fine.
Additional resources
- Kansas Highway Patrol’s page on Child Passenger Safety.
- You could also watch this instructional video hosted by Lieutenant Adam Winters on Kansas Highway Patrol’s YouTube page.
- If you need even more information, read through this post on the Douglas County Sherriff’s Office website.
- Last, but certainly not least, here’s a link to the full transcript of Kansas’s child safety seat laws (officially called KSA 8-1344).