It is the responsibility of the supervising adult to ensure that any child under 5 years old is seated in a federally-approved child car seat. Failure to do so could result in a$60 fine and 3 points against your driver’s license.

Use the following car seat guidelines from the FLHSMV while driving with a child in your vehicle.

• Birth–1 year old
  • Use a rear-facing child car seat.
• 1 year old–3 years old
  • Use a rear-facing child car seat until they outgrow the weight and height limit of the child car seat.
  • Normally when children are over 1 year old and weigh over 20 pounds, you can switch to a forward-facing car seat.
• 4 years old–7 years old
  • Use a forward-facing child seat until they reach the weight and height limits recommended by the manufacturer.
• 8 years old–12 years old
  • Use a booster seat in the back seat until your child is big enough to use the car’s seat belt.

Never put your child in a child car seat in the front of a vehicle with a passenger air bag. It is always safest for your child to ride in the back seat.

Unattended Children in Florida

The state of Florida punishes adults who leave children under 6 years old unattended in a motor vehicle, whether the vehicle is running or not.

• If the vehicle is running and the child’s health is in danger, you can be fined $50–$500 by leaving a child unattended for any period of time.
• If the vehicle is not running and the child is not in any danger, you may only leave your child unattended for up to 15 minutes or risk being fined up to $100.

If a Florida law enforcement officer finds you are in breach of these rules and they can’t locate you (or the adult responsible), they have the right take your child into the custody of the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services.