Car seat laws in Arkansas

Arkansas law has no rear-facing requirement. NHTSA and the AAP recommend keeping your child rear-facing as long as possible, until they reach the top height or weight limit allowed by the car seat's manufacturer. A child under age 1 should always ride rear-facing, and most convertible seats allow rear-facing for 2 years or more.

A child who is less than six years of age and who weighs less than sixty pounds shall be restrained in a child passenger safety seat properly secured to the vehicle. NHTSA and the AAP recommend going further: using a belt-positioning booster seat after your child outgrows the harnessed seat, until the vehicle seat belt fits properly, typically when they reach about 4 feet 9 inches tall and are 8 to 12 years old. The AAP says an adult seat belt fits when: the shoulder belt lies across the middle of the chest and shoulder, not the neck or throat; the lap belt is low and snug across the upper thighs, not the belly; and the child is tall enough to sit against the vehicle seat back with knees bent over the edge of the seat without slouching, and can stay that way for the whole trip. NHTSA uses the same lap-belt and shoulder-belt checks. The 5-step test, which California writes into law from January 1, 2027, asks: 1) Does the child sit all the way back against the seat? 2) Do the knees bend over the edge of the seat? 3) Does the shoulder belt snugly cross the center of the chest and shoulder, not the neck? 4) Is the lap belt as low as possible, touching the thighs? 5) Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?

Arkansas law doesn't say where in the car a child must sit. NHTSA and the AAP recommend keeping all children younger than 13 in the back seat.

Fine of not less than $25 nor more than $100. If you show the court you have since acquired, purchased or rented an approved child passenger safety seat, the court may assess no more than the minimum fine. The court also considers whether the child was restrained by some other means, such as a seat belt.

NHTSA's locator lists 31 car seat inspection stations in Arkansas, in 26 cities and towns. Little Rock has the most (3), then Bentonville, Fayetteville and Jonesboro (2 each). NHTSA flags 2 of them as Spanish-speaking. Certified technicians check seats for free in most cases. Search NHTSA's locator by ZIP code and call the station before you go.