While riding in a vehicle, children under the age of six need to be properly restrained by an approved child safety seat.

However, additional conditions apply:

• Children under the age of one or weighing less than 20 pounds must be in a rear-facing child safety seat.
• Children between the ages of one and five, weighing between 20 to 40 pounds, must be in a forward-facing child safety seat.
• Children between the ages of one and five, weighing between 40 to 80 pounds, must be in a belt-positioning booster seat.
• Regardless of age, children weighing over 80 pounds or those who can can sit erect against the car seat and bend their legs over the seat’s edge are not required to be in a booster seat.

In general, children under six years old cannot ride in the front seat. But, this stipulation is waived if the vehicle doesn’t have a back seat, or if the back seat is occupied by other children under the age of six.

Unattended Children

South Carolina doesn’t have any statewide rules specifically addressing the issue of leaving children unattended in a vehicle. However, deliberately endangering a child is against the law.

Use common sense and know that children(or pets) left are subject to getting ill or dying from the temperature (hot or cold), kidnapping, and getting out of their seats and into mischief. If you see a child locked in a car in a dangerous situation, call 911 and stay with the car. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.