Car seat laws in Vermont require children up to the age of eight to ride in a rear-facing car seat (up to 20 pounds), front-facing car seat (depending on their weight), or a booster seat.
What is the car seat law in Vermont?
What are the penalties for breaking the car seat law in Vermont?
Breaking a car seat law in Vermont will result in a fine that gets progressively more expensive with each subsequent offense.
The fine for a first offense is $25, the second is $50, and the third is $30. You will not incur any points on your license.
Can breaking the car seat law impact my driving record?
No, you will not receive any points on your driving record if you break Vermont’s car seat laws.
In Vermont, car seat laws are considered primary laws when children are under the age of 18 months, which means that an officer can pull you over if they suspect the child is improperly secured.
The laws become secondary laws when the child is over 18 months old, which means an officer can only cite you for breaking them if they’ve pulled you over for committing another offense.
In either case, you will not receive any points on your license, but the citations will still show up on your driving record.
How breaking car seat laws can impact insurance in Vermont
You will not incur any demerit points on your license for breaking car seat laws in Vermont, but the citation will still show up. Having citations on your record can signal to your insurance carrier, or other potential carriers, that you may be a high-risk driver. The more citations you have, the higher your risk.
Insurance companies charge high-risk drivers more for their coverage. Some insurance companies may even refuse to insure them. So, keeping a clean record where possible can help keep your car insurance rates down (and your vehicle insured).
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