The Ins and Outs of the NC Child Seatbelt Laws and Car Seat Regulations

iEditorial Note: These blog posts represent the opinion of DoNotPay’s Writers, but each person’s situation and circumstances vary greatly. As a result, you should make sure to do your own independent research. Because everyone is unique, our self-help tools are never guaranteed to help with any specific situation. DoNotPay is not a law firm and is not licensed to practice law. DoNotPay provides a platform for legal information and self-help.

The Overview of the NC Child Seatbelt Laws

Not complying with the NC child seatbelt laws can result in various problems—from serious injuries to astronomical fines. If you want to avoid such issues and protect your little ones adequately, you must inform yourself better about the car seat requirements you must meet.

Instead of checking the info scattered all over the internet, use our guide to solve all your dilemmas. We will help you find out more about:

Breaking Down the North Carolina Child Seatbelt Laws

To provide solid protection for your child when driving in North Carolina, you must be aware of the following child safety rules:

  • Passengers below eight weighing less than 40 pounds must be in an appropriate child restraint device, which includes child car or booster seats
  • Booster seats are recommended for children under the age of eight or weighing between 40 and 80 pounds
  • Children weighing at least 80 pounds can wear a regular safety belt
  • Passengers under the age of five must ride in the back seat
  • The law doesn’t specify how long your child should use a rear-facing restraint device. Child car seat manufacturers usually recommend rear-facing car seats for all children under the age of one

NC Child Seatbelt Law Exemptions

Your child won’t have to be secured in a restraint device if:

  • You drive them in:
    • Cars manufactured before 1968
    • SUVs, vans, and light trucks manufactured before 1971
  • They ride an ambulance or any other emergency vehicle
  • All sitting positions with available seatbelts in your car are occupied
  • Their personal needs are being tended to

What Is the Cost of a North Carolina Child Seatbelt Citation?

If you get a child seatbelt ticket in North Carolina, you must set aside up to $25.5. While this doesn’t seem like a huge amount, there are also court expenses of approximately $263. Offenses including children safety violations are more serious than the regular ones. They add two driver’s license points to your record.

General Seatbelt Laws in North Carolina

Once you are familiar with the essentials of the child car seat laws in North Carolina, it doesn’t hurt to remind yourself of some general seatbelt regulations in this state. Find more details in the table below:

CriteriaDetails
Positions covered by the lawAll positions, including:
  • Driver’s
  • Front seat passengers’
  • Backseat passengers’
Vehicles covered by the lawPassenger vehicles that can carry 11 or fewer persons, including:
  • Cars manufactured after 1967
  • Vans and light trucks made after 1971
Seatbelt/restraint requirements
  1. The restraint system must be properly fastened
  2. Both belts (lap and shoulder ones) must be adequately worn
  3. Shoulder belt can’t be placed behind the passenger’s back or under their arm
ResponsibilityBesides for themselves, drivers bear full responsibility for all passengers below 16. Persons above the age of 16 are responsible for themselves
Degree of offense
  • Secondary if rear-seat passengers commit it
  • Primary in all other cases
Non-moving violationYes
Additional demerit points for your driving record as a consequence of a seatbelt ticketNo, except when children car seat laws are violated
Car insurance rate increase/additional insurance points as a consequence of a seatbelt ticketNo

North Carolina Seatbelt Law Exemptions

According to the state law, persons who don’t need to wear safety belts include:

  • Drivers who operate vehicles not covered by the North Carolina seatbelt law
  • People suffering from mental phobias that prevent them from using seatbelts
  • Persons suffering from any other medical condition that prevents them from having their safety belt on—it must be confirmed by a certified practitioner
  • Letter and newspaper carriers on duty
  • People who often stop and leave the car to deliver goods—only if the vehicle speed between stops isn’t higher than 20 miles per hour
  • Individuals who operate farm or commercial vehicles for agricultural purposes

Ways To Get Your Seatbelt Ticket Dismissed

Do you want to avoid paying a seatbelt citation? It’s not always easy, but you shouldn’t despair. Find a few smart ways to get your ticket dismissed in the table below:

MethodExplanation
Purchase a child restraint device if you don’t have itNot possessing a child seat or booster is one of the common reasons for getting a seatbelt ticket. You can get the fine waived if you submit proof of child seat purchase/acquisition
Go to court and argue your caseThe best option is to bring witnesses to prove that you indeed were buckled up
to fight the ticket from homeFinish the appeal procedure quickly and efficiently by getting a ready-made claim generated by our app

Don’t Let Seatbelt Fines Ruin Your Day—Let DoNotPay Get Rid of Them!

Do you think the only way to appeal the seatbelt ticket is to spend hours composing a claim yourself? Get ready to change your mind because DoNotPay proves the opposite!

Our app features a chatbot that gathers the info about your case and creates a personalized appeal letter ready for submission. Not only does the procedure take less than five minutes, but it can also be performed from anywhere!

Follow these steps to get your document:

  1. Find the Seatbelt Ticket feature
  2. Specify who got the ticket—a driver or a passenger
  3. Choose the desired argument for your case
  4. Upload a photo of your seatbelt citation and disclose more details about the case

Once we create the claim, we will gladly send it to the chosen department in your name!

If you are going on a road trip soon or just want to inform yourself better, you can use our amazing guides to get all the info about seatbelt laws in other states! Check out the table below for more details:

TexasCaliforniaFlorida
VermontPennsylvaniaMaryland
GeorgiaArizonaIllinois
MichiganVirginiaIndiana
New JerseyTennesseeNew York State
Washington StateMissouriColorado
UtahSouth CarolinaMassachusetts
NevadaOhioAlabama
OregonWisconsinOklahoma
ArkansasMinnesotaKentucky
IdahoConnecticutKansas
LouisianaIowaWest Virginia
New MexicoMississippiHawaii
NebraskaNew HampshireMaine
DelawareMontanaRhode Island
AlaskaSouth DakotaWyoming
North DakotaDistrict of Columbia

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