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Delaware driving lesson · Safety Belts, Child Restraints & Fitness to Drive

Child restraints & car seats

A 3-minute lesson from the Delaware course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.

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Read time
3 minutes
Course unit
Safety Belts, Child Restraints & Fitness to Drive
Checkpoint questions
6
Source pages
107, 108, 109

Children need the right seat for their size, used correctly every time. Delaware's child restraint law is a primary enforcement law: an officer can pull you over just for seeing an unrestrained child.

Delaware law

Delaware law
ChildMust ride in
Under age 2 AND 30 poundsA rear-facing car seat
Under age 4 AND 40 poundsA harnessed car seat
Using a belt-positioning boosterThe booster until the maker's height/weight max
Outgrew the booster, under age 16A properly secured seat belt, any seat
Handbook p. 107 ↗

Know the rule

A child under age 12 or under 5'5" should not ride in the front passenger seat (certain exceptions are in 21 Del. C. § 4803(b)(1) and (2)).

Handbook p. 107 ↗

NHTSA / AAP recommendations

NHTSA / AAP recommendations
AgeSeat
Birth–12 monthsAlways rear-facing
1–3 yearsRear-facing to the seat's limit, then forward harness
4–7 yearsForward harness to the seat's limit, then booster
8–12 yearsBooster until the adult belt fits properly
Handbook p. 107 ↗

Know the rule

An adult belt fits when the lap belt lies snugly across the upper thighs (not the stomach) and the shoulder belt crosses the shoulder and chest (not the neck or face). Children should still ride in the back seat—it's safer.

Handbook p. 108 ↗

Car seat tips:

  • Never put a rear-facing seat in front of an active frontal air bag
  • Harness snug—you can't pinch extra webbing at the child's collarbone
  • Chest clip even with the child's armpits
  • Installed seat moves no more than one inch side-to-side or front-to-back at the belt path
  • For forward-facing seats, use the top tether whenever possible
  • Never hold a child on your lap unrestrained
Handbook p. 108 ↗

Know the rule

The best car seat fits your child, fits your vehicle, and is one you can use correctly every time. Read both your vehicle's owner manual and the car seat manual.

Handbook p. 108 ↗

Know the rule

The Delaware Office of Highway Safety offers free car seat checks with certified technicians at fitting stations in all three counties; appointments are required.

Handbook p. 108 ↗

Put it into practice

Your 3-year-old weighs 35 pounds and has outgrown her rear-facing seat. Because she's under age 4 and 40 pounds, she must ride in a harnessed car seat—not a booster.

Check your understanding

Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.

Delaware law requires children under what age AND weight to ride in a rear-facing car seat?
  1. Under age 1 and 20 pounds
  2. Under age 2 and 30 pounds
  3. Under age 4 and 40 pounds
  4. Under age 6 and 50 pounds

Answer: Under age 2 and 30 pounds

Delaware requires children under age 2 and under 30 pounds to ride in a rear-facing car seat.

Handbook p. 107 ↗
Delaware law requires children under what age AND weight to ride in a harnessed car seat?
  1. Under age 2 and 30 pounds
  2. Under age 8 and 60 pounds
  3. Under age 4 and 40 pounds
  4. Under age 10 and 70 pounds

Answer: Under age 4 and 40 pounds

Children under age 4 and under 40 pounds must ride in a harnessed car seat once they outgrow rear-facing.

Handbook p. 107 ↗
A child who has outgrown their belt-positioning booster seat's height/weight limits and is under 16 must
  1. no longer be required to use any restraint
  2. sit only in the rear middle seat
  3. use a booster seat regardless of size
  4. wear a properly secured seat belt in any seating position

Answer: wear a properly secured seat belt in any seating position

Once a child outgrows a booster seat's limits but has not yet turned 16, they must wear a properly secured seat belt in every seating position.

Handbook p. 107 ↗
Under Delaware law, a child under 12 (or under 5'5") generally should not
  1. occupy the front passenger seat of a vehicle
  2. ride in the back seat
  3. wear a seat belt in the rear seat
  4. ride in a vehicle with airbags

Answer: occupy the front passenger seat of a vehicle

A child under age 12 or under 5'5" should not occupy the front passenger seat, with certain exceptions defined by Delaware code.

Handbook p. 107 ↗
Delaware's child restraint law is a primary enforcement law, meaning
  1. police may only issue a restraint citation after a crash
  2. an officer can pull a vehicle over solely for seeing an unrestrained child
  3. only a secondary citation can be issued if unrestrained
  4. the law applies only to children under 2

Answer: an officer can pull a vehicle over solely for seeing an unrestrained child

As a primary enforcement law, officers can stop a vehicle specifically because they see an unrestrained child inside.

Handbook p. 107 ↗
A rear-facing car seat should never be installed in front of an active frontal air bag.
  1. True
  2. False

Answer: True

Never install a rear-facing car seat in front of an active frontal air bag, since deployment can seriously injure the child.

Handbook p. 108 ↗
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