Seatbelt Laws & Fines in California

Under California seatbelt laws, every passenger in a vehicle must be wearing a seatbelt. If you’ve received a seatbelt ticket, a traffic ticket attorney Los Angeles can advise you about the best next steps.

California Seatbelt Fines

The minimum fine for a seatbelt ticket when an adult is not wearing a seatbelt is $162 in California. Subsequent offenses carry steeper penalties, which means you may want fight traffic ticket with the help of an attorney.

When a child younger than 16 is not properly restrained, the minimum fine is $465. The child’s parent or the driver of the vehicle is responsible for paying the ticket.

Child Restraint Laws

Although the factory-installed seatbelts in a vehicle are safe for adults and for older children, babies, toddlers and elementary school children are required to ride in an approved child restraint system. The laws for child safety seats in California include the following:

• Children younger than age 2 or smaller than 39 inches tall and 40 pounds must ride in a rear-facing child safety seat with federal safety approval.
• Children younger than age 8 or shorter than 57 inches must ride in a federally-approved child safety seat.
• Children younger than age 8 are prohibited from riding in the front seat of a vehicle unless the vehicle has no rear seat, the rear seats are rear-facing or side-facing, the rear seats are full of other younger children, the safety system cannot be installed in the rear seat or the child must ride in the front seat for medical reasons.

The fine for transporting a child younger than eight without a proper safety restraint system is $100 for the first offense and $250 for the second offense. However, if you can prove to the court that you are economically disadvantaged, your fine may be waived upon completion of a safety education program.

If you have received a seatbelt ticket in California, seek legal advice. A traffic ticket attorney can help defend you against potential penalties.