Car seat laws in Maryland

A child under 2 must ride in a rear-facing child safety seat until reaching the seat manufacturer's weight or height limit. 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 ride in a child safety seat, booster seats included, unless the child is 4 feet 9 inches or taller. 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 Maryland law says where in the car a child must sit. The health department notes that a rear-facing seat may not be placed in front of an active air bag. NHTSA and the AAP recommend keeping all children younger than 13 in the back seat.

A violation carries a $50 fine. A first violation of the rear-facing rule (a child under 2 in a seat that isn't rear-facing) gets a written warning. A judge may waive the fine if the driver had no car seat at the time, gets one before the hearing and shows proof to the court. A violation is not a moving violation, so it adds no points. Failing to restrain several children in the same trip counts as a single violation.

NHTSA's locator lists 17 car seat inspection stations in Maryland, in 14 cities and towns. Gaithersburg, Rockville and Westminster have the most (2 each). Certified technicians check seats for free in most cases. Search NHTSA's locator by ZIP code and call the station before you go.