Wyoming Car Seat Laws in 2022

Editor’s note: This article was updated in 2022 to reflect changes in Wyoming car seat law enacted in 2022.

Wyoming law states a child under nine years old must be properly secured in a child safety restraint system in the rear seat when being transported in a passenger vehicle. A child safety restraint system is defined as a device meeting applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards designed to protect, hold or restrain a child to prevent or minimize injury in the event of an accident or sudden stop in a privately owned, leased, or rented noncommercial passenger vehicle.

A passenger vehicle is defined as a motor vehicle designed to carry people and equipped with safety belts when manufactured, excluding: emergency and law enforcement vehicles; school buses; buses; and other vehicles designed and used for public transportation and not equipped with safety belts when manufactured.

Babies and Children Up to Nine Years Old

Children under two should be secured in a rear-facing child restraint system.

A child under nine years old must be properly secured in a child safety restraint system when being transported in a passenger vehicle. The child restraint system should not be secured in the front seat of the vehicle unless the vehicle only has one row of seats or all of the safety belts in the rows of seats behind the front seat are being used by other child passengers. A child safety restraint system must not be placed in front of an active airbag.

Children Nine to Seventeen Years Old

A child between the ages of nine and seventeen years old must wear a properly adjusted and fastened safety belt when driving or being transported as a passenger in a motor vehicle in motion on Wyoming’s public streets and highways.

Penalties for Violations

If you violate Wyoming’s Child Safety Restraint Act, you may be issued a citation and fined up to $50.00 for a first offense. Your fine may be waived by the court if you provide proof that you have purchased, leased, or otherwise acquired a child safety restraint system meeting the law’s requirements since the violation. You may be fined up to $100.00 for a second or subsequent offense.

If you use a child safety restraint system in a way that is not consistent with manufacturer’s instructions, you may be fined up to $50.00 for a first offense or up to $100.00 for a second or subsequent offense.

If you violate Wyoming’s safety belts law by failing to require a passenger under twelve years old to wear a safety belt, you may be issued a citation and fined up to $25.00. If your child is a passenger between twelve and seventeen years old and fails to wear a safety belt, he or she may be issued a citation and fined up to $10.00.

If your child is the driver and fails to wear a safety belt, he or she may be issued a citation and fined up to $25.00. A violation cannot be counted as a moving violation for the purpose of suspending your driver’s license, made part of the department’s abstracts, or used to increase your insurance premiums.

Law Enforcement May Not Stop Your Vehicle for a Suspected Violation of the Safety Belts Law

Your motor vehicle may not be stopped by a law enforcement officer solely for a suspected violation of Wyoming’s safety belts law.

Exemptions

Your child may be exempt from Wyoming’s Child Safety Restraint Act if you have in your passenger vehicle a signed statement from a licensed physician indicating that your child’s weight or physical or medical condition requires that he or she not be secured in a child restraint system.

Your child may be exempt from Wyoming’s Child Safety Restraint Act if the driver of the passenger vehicle is rendering aid or assistance to your child, you, or your child’s other parent or guardian.

Your child may be exempt from Wyoming’s Child Safety Restraint Act if the passenger vehicle’s lap and shoulder belts fit properly across his or her collarbone, chest, and hips and pose no danger to your child’s neck, face, or abdomen in the event of an accident or sudden stop.

Your child may be exempt from Wyoming’s safety belts law if you have a written statement from a physician indicating that it is not advisable for your child to wear a safety belt for physical or medical reasons.

Your child may be exempt from Wyoming’s safety belts law if he or she is being transported in a passenger vehicle originally manufactured without safety belts or not required to be equipped with safety belts under federal law.

Your child may be exempt from Wyoming’s safety belts law if he or she is occupying a seat in a passenger vehicle in which all working safety restraints are being used by the driver or other passengers.

FAQs

What are the booster seat guidelines for Wyoming?

Children between two and nine years old should be secured in a child restraint system. The law does not specify what type of child safety restraint system. Follow the manufacturer’s height and weight regulations for your child safety restraint system.

When can a child sit in the front seat in Wyoming?

Children under nine years old should be secured in a child restraint system in the back seat, unless the safety belts in the back seat are all occupied by other children or the vehicle only has one row of seats.

The law does not specify when a child may sit in the front seat.

What are the Wyoming car seat laws for rear-facing car seats?

Any child under two must be secured in a rear-facing car seat. Children under nine years old must be properly secured in a child safety restraint system, but the law does not specify age, weight, and height regulations for forward-facing car seats, convertible car seats, or booster seats. Follow the manufacturer’s regulations on height and weight when securing a child in a vehicle.

* Ms. Blake is licensed in the state of Maryland. The information provided in this article does not constitute legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship.


Attorney Denise A. Blake*

Denise practices family law at Blake Law, LLC in Westminster, Maryland. She holds a Juris Doctor with an emphasis in Family Law from the University of Baltimore School of Law.