The Kentucky car seat laws are very straight forward. Babies and toddlers under 40″ tall must ride in either a rear facing or forward facing car seat. Kids between 40″ and 57″ tall and under 8 years old must travel using a booster seat. Children over 57″ tall and children 8 or older may ride using only a seat belt.
In Kentucky, infants under 1 year old and under 20 pounds must travel in a rear facing infant seat. Safety experts, however, recommend keeping your baby rear facing until he or she reaches the maximum weight or height limit for the seat. This is usually around 2 years old and 30 pounds. The height and weight limits for your specific car seat can be found on the seat’s sticker, in the manual, or usually on the manufacturer’s website.
It’s important to note that booster seats (sometimes called belt positioning booster seats) are meant to be used with BOTH a lap belt and shoulder belt. Severe abdominal and spinal injuries can result from only using a lap belt.
Below, you’ll find some links to trusted sources for Kentucky car seat laws and booster seat laws.
State Resources for Kentucky Car Seat Laws
Kentucky State Police: Car Seat Inspections
National Resources for Kentucky Car Seat and Booster Seat Laws
nhtsa.gov – U.S. Department of Transportation / National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website, car seat and booster seat page. Lots of great info here!
iihs.org – Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, child safety page More solid info found here.