Car seat laws in Illinois

A child under 2 must be properly secured in a rear-facing child restraint system, unless the child weighs 40 or more pounds or is 40 or more inches tall. NHTSA and the AAP recommend going further: 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 under 8 must be properly secured in an appropriate child restraint system ('which also includes a booster seat'). The parent or guardian must give anyone transporting their child under 8 a child restraint system. 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?

No Illinois law says where in the car a child must sit. NHTSA and the AAP recommend keeping all children younger than 13 in the back seat.

First violation: a petty offense with a $75 fine. Second or later: $200. On a first violation of the under-8 rule, you won't be convicted if you show the court you have an approved child restraint and completed an installation course with a certified technician.

NHTSA's locator lists 315 car seat inspection stations in Illinois, in 180 cities and towns. Chicago has the most (22), then Mt. Vernon (6). NHTSA flags 43 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.