A 3-minute lesson from the South Dakota course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Children need restraints matched to their size, and the back seat is the safest place for them. South Dakota law sets specific rules by age and weight.
Know the rule
Children under 5 must ride in a child passenger restraint system meeting federal standard 213, used per the manufacturer's instructions. Violating this is a petty offense.
A reclining, rear-facing seat held by the lap belt, with a built-in harness. Use it from birth until the child sits well alone, about 9 months. Baby seats for the house don't protect in a vehicle.
Never hold a child on your lap, and never put one belt around you and a child: crash forces would tear the child from your arms or press the belt deep into the child.
Drivers aged 14 to 17 must wear a seatbelt (petty offense). These restraint laws don't apply in passenger cars made before 1966 that were never equipped with seatbelts.
Your 4-year-old nephew weighs 42 pounds. Because he's under 5 but at least 40 pounds, a properly adjusted seatbelt meets South Dakota law, and at his age he should ride in the back seat.
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.
Under South Dakota law, a child under 5 years of age must be secured in what?
Any seatbelt, adult or child-sized
A seatbelt, if riding in the back seat
A federally approved child restraint system
A booster seat only, regardless of weight
Answer: A federally approved child restraint system
SDCL 32-37-1 requires children under 5 to be secured in a child passenger restraint system meeting Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213.