LCO No. 4181 1 of 4
General Assembly Committee Bill No. 1146
January Session, 2025
LCO No. 4181
Referred to Committee on TRANSPORTATION
Introduced by:
(TRA)
AN ACT CONCERNING CHILD RESTRAINT SYSTEMS FOR
CHILDREN TRANSPORTED IN MOTOR VEHICLES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subsection (d) of section 14-100a of the general statutes is 1
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 2
1, 2025): 3
(d) (1) (A) Any person who transports a child who is either under 4
[two] three years of age or [weighing] weighs less than thirty pounds in 5
a motor vehicle on the highways of this state shall provide and require 6
the child to ride rear-facing in a child restraint system equipped with a 7
five-point harness approved pursuant to regulations that the 8
Department of Motor Vehicles shall adopt in accordance with the 9
provisions of chapter 54. 10
(B) Any person who transports a child who either (i) is under five 11
years of age, but not under [two] three years of age, or [weighing] (ii) 12
weighs less than forty pounds, but not less than thirty pounds, in a 13
motor vehicle on the highways of this state shall provide and require 14
the child to ride rear-facing or forward-facing in a child restraint system 15
Committee Bill No. 1146
LCO No. 4181 2 of 4
equipped with a five-point harness approved pursuant to such 16
regulations. 17
(C) Any person who transports a child who either (i) is under eight 18
years of age, but not under five years of age, or [weighing] (ii) weighs 19
less than sixty pounds, but not less than forty pounds, in a motor vehicle 20
on the highways of this state shall provide and require the child to ride 21
rear-facing or forward-facing in a child restraint system equipped with 22
a five-point harness or a booster seat secured by a seat safety belt 23
approved pursuant to such regulations. 24
(D) A child secured in a child restraint system or booster seat in a 25
motor vehicle pursuant to the provisions of this subsection shall be 26
secured in a child restraint system or booster seat that is appropriate for 27
the child's weight and height and configured according to the 28
manufacturer of such child restraint system or booster seat and the 29
motor vehicle manufacturer's instructions. 30
[(D)] (E) No person shall transport a child in a motor vehicle on the 31
highways of this state in a rear-facing child restraint system in the front 32
seat of any motor vehicle that is equipped with a functional air bag on 33
the passenger side of such motor vehicle. 34
(2) Any person who transports a child who is eight years of age or 35
older and [weighing] weighs sixty or more pounds in a motor vehicle 36
on the highways of this state shall either provide and require the child 37
to use an approved child restraint system or require the child to use a 38
seat safety belt. Failure to use a child restraint system shall not be 39
considered as contributory negligence nor shall such failure be 40
admissible evidence in any civil action. As used in this subsection, 41
"motor vehicle" does not mean a bus having a tonnage rating of one ton 42
or more. 43
(3) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision (1) of this 44
subsection, any person who transports a child who is four years of age 45
or older in a student transportation vehicle, as defined in section 14-212, 46
Committee Bill No. 1146
LCO No. 4181 3 of 4
on the highways of this state shall either provide and require the child 47
to use an approved child restraint system or require the child to use a 48
seat safety belt. Any person who transports a child who is under four 49
years of age weighing less than forty pounds in a student transportation 50
vehicle on the highways of this state shall provide and require the child 51
to use a child restraint system approved pursuant to such regulations. 52
(4) No person shall restrain a child in a booster seat unless the motor 53
vehicle is equipped with a safety seat belt that includes a shoulder belt 54
and otherwise meets the requirement of subsection (b) of this section. 55
(5) Any person who violates the provisions of subdivision (1), (2), (3) 56
or (4) of this subsection shall, for a first violation, have committed an 57
infraction; for a second violation, be fined not more than one hundred 58
ninety-nine dollars; and, for a third or subsequent violation, be guilty of 59
a class A misdemeanor. The court may, subsequent to the violation but 60
prior to the imposition of a fine, remit the fine for a first-time violator 61
who presents proof of the acquisition, rental or purchase of a child 62
restraint system or booster seat appropriate for the weight and age of 63
the child that such person transports not later than fourteen days from 64
the date of the violation. The commissioner shall require any person 65
who has committed a first or second violation of the provisions of this 66
subsection to attend a child car seat safety course offered or approved 67
by the Department of Motor Vehicles. The commissioner may, after 68
notice and an opportunity for a hearing, suspend for a period of not 69
more than two months the motor vehicle operator's license of any 70
person who fails to attend or successfully complete the course. 71
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2025 14-100a(d)
Statement of Purpose:
To require a child (1) under three years of age to ride rear-facing in a
child restraint system in a motor vehicle, and (2) be secured in a child
Committee Bill No. 1146
LCO No. 4181 4 of 4
restraint system or booster seat in a manner that complies with the
height and weight limits specified by the manufacturer of such system
or seat and the motor vehicle manufacturer's instructions.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
underlined.]
Co-Sponsors: SEN. FLEXER, 29th Dist.; REP. HADDAD, 54th Dist.
S.B. 1146