By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-04-03 01:10:30 | Updated at 2025-04-04 00:15:22
1 day ago
Michigan’s new car seat laws, aimed at improving child safety, take effect today —bringing fines for drivers who don’t comply.
The updated rules apply to children 13 and under, with stricter seat requirements based on age and size.
Infants up to two years old must be secured in a rear-facing car seat, which is allowed in the front seat only if the airbag is deactivated. .
Once the turn two, they will be required to use a forward-facing car seat until age five.
Kids between five and eight must use a belt-positioning booster seat with a lap and shoulder belt.
Once they reach eight years old, they can ditch the booster—unless their height or weight makes it unsafe.
Children who are nearly five feet tall before age eight can skip the booster.
Drivers who fail to follow the new rules face a $65 penalty, including a $25 civil fine, court costs, and a $40 justice system assessment.
Multiple driving laws aiming to improve child safety in vehicles began today in the state of Michigan
Drivers who do not adhere to any of the new rules could receive a $65 fine
New 2025 Driving Laws
- Daylighting law prohibiting drivers from parking their cars within 20 feet of any crosswalk in California
- Stricter street racing penalties in California
- Changes to car seat age and weight requirements in Colorado
- Fines for failing to follow designated enter and exit areas for express lanes in Colorado
- Bans on handheld devices while driving in Colorado and Missouri
- Drivers allowed to have a digital copy of their license on their cell phones in Illinois
- Yield right of way to emergency vehicles in Illinois
- Drivers required to take a vision test to renew licenses in Kentucky
- School bus safety law in Oregon
- Vehicle safety inspections scrapped in Texas
Lawmakers imposed the new rules due to car crashes being the top cause of death for young children in Michigan.
'Over the prior two decades, Michigan has experienced increases in the use of CRDs among children under 4 years of age from 74.5 percent in 1997 to 98.2 percent in 2018,' Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning said in 2022.
'In spite of these gains, 61 percent of the children under the age of 4 who were killed in traffic crashes in Michigan from 2017 to 2021 were not restrained in a rear- or forward-facing CRD.'
With these laws, the Michigan State Police believe they could potentially cut the risk of death by 50 percent.
The new rules also come after the chaos across the US over the upcoming deadline to obtain a Real ID for travel.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed passengers boarding domestic flights without a passport will need the government issued ID by May 7.
The high demand for them resulted in DMVs from New Jersey to Tennessee extending their operating hours to accommodate for travelers needing the ID.
