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.
Illinois Car Seat Law
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:
- From birth to 2 years: Children should be in a rear-facing safety seat unless they exceed 40 pounds or 40 inches in height.
- Ages 2 to 4: It's advised to keep children in a rear-facing seat until they hit the 40-pound mark or reach 40 inches tall.
- Ages 4 to 8: Children should be in a forward-facing safety seat until they are at least 4 feet 9 inches tall.
- Ages 8 to 12: A booster seat is required until they attain a height of 4 feet 9 inches.
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)
Illinois Infant/Toddler Car Seat Law
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.
Illinois Rear-facing Car Seat Law
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.
Illinois Forward-facing Car Seat Law
According to Illinois law, between the age of 4 to 8 when your child has outgrown the weight and height limit of the rear-facing car seat, you can graduate them to the forward-facing car seat that has a harness system.
Child Booster Seat Laws in Illinois
The law says that between 8 to 12 years age, children will travel in a booster seat.
When Can My Child Sit in the Front Seat in Illinois?
There are no laws on the front seat issue in Illinois. But experts recommend it is not safe for kids to sit in the front seat before the age of 13. Once your child reaches 13 and can safely use a car seat belt, they are allowed to sit in the front seat. However, specialists advise that the back seats are generally safer, so it's best to have your children sit there for an extended period.
Leaving Child in Car Law in Illinois
It is illegal to leave a child in a car alone for more than 10 minutes unless they are being supervised by a child no younger than 14 years.
Is it Illegal to Smoke in a Car with a Child in Illinois?
Smoking is illegal in a car with a child passenger, and applies to all children under the age of 18. If you are caught smoking in a car with a child, you could be fined up to $100 for a first offense and up to $250 for a second offense.
Taxi Car Seat Law in Illinois
According to Illinois law, "When any person is transporting a child in this State under the age of 8 years in a non-commercial motor vehicle of the first division {...} such person shall be responsible for providing for the protection of such child by properly securing him or her in an appropriate child restraint system." Because taxis are commercial vehicles of the first division (vehicles that are meant to carry less than 10 people), the law doesn't apply to them
The Taxi Car Seat Law in Illinois requires that all children under the age of 8 be properly secured in a child safety seat. Children who are 8 years old or older but under the age of 16 must be properly secured in a seat belt or child safety seat.
Taxi drivers are legally responsible for ensuring that all children in their vehicle are properly secured in a child safety seat or seat belt. If a taxi driver is caught transporting a child without a child safety seat or seat belt, they could be fined up to $100.
Additional Safety Tips for Keeping Children Safe
Places to Get Car Seat Help in Illinois
Good Car Seat Videos for Illinoisans Parents
Illinois Car Seat Laws Explained
Illinois Department of Transportation – Child Seat Crash Test
American Automobile Association - Rear-Facing Seats
American Automobile Association - forward-Facing Seats
American Automobile Association - Seat Belts
Cincinnati Children's Guide on How to Install a Car Seat
Car Seat Safety
NHTSA Tutorial on How to Install a Car Seat
Resources for More Info on Illinois Car Seat Safety
Growing up I was a carefree male going about life like there was no tomorrow. Naturally, I ‘grew’ up, settled down and started a family.
Going from an independent carefree male to a family man was somewhat of a U-turn and required a lot of learning. Luckily for me, my wife works in education and has always been the shining light always ahead of me on all factors kids related.
Initially, my wife didn’t have a driving license (luckily this has now changed and it does make life easier), and all things car related were my task. Child locks were the obvious starting point which lead me down a rabbit hole.
So far we have personally tested dozens of convertible car seats and have owned five despite neither of our kids having reached the age of 5! Simply put, a car seat can be great on paper, work great on trying out but can fail on you in real life.
This is why I have put together this website – to help inform and educate you!
Of course, as I mentioned above, at the end of the day your experience will be the best test so I’d love to hear your experiences and feedback in the comments.
To contact me personally, please do so through my contact page.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Peter
P.S. If you click a link on my site and end up buying a car seat on Amazon, I’ll get paid a small commission (or as the Amazon lawyers put it: “As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases”)
Hannah says
Illinois law suggests not to “use a car seat past 6 years of manufacture, or the expiration on the car seat itself”. However, I am coming up with little information as to which part supercedes the other.
Of course, if the expiration is only 4 years per manufacturer, I would imagine that would go above the 6 years stated in the law and you would have to get a new seat. But with changing technology, we have seats which outlive the 6 years stated in the law.
If I were to buy a convertible car seat/ booster seat which lasts for 10 years, could I use the seat for it’s entire life in Illinois? Or would it be null after only 6 years per law even though it doesn’t expire for 10 years per manufacturer? Specifically, I am considering buying the Graco 4Ever DLX 4 in 1 car seat which goes from rear facing to forward, as well as high back booster and no back booster.