In Michigan, kids can sit in the front seat of a car once they have reached 13 years of age. The law generally requires children under the age of 13 to ride in the rear seat. Kids who are 13 or older who are sitting in the front seat must be properly secured by a fastened safety belt.
Aside from the driver’s seat, the front passenger seat is the most dangerous seat to be occupying during a motor vehicle crash in Michigan, according to Michigan Traffic Crash Facts. The “Right Front” passenger seat has the second highest number of fatalities and injuries, according to Michigan Traffic Crash Facts, 2023, Statewide, “Occupant/Person,” “Motor Vehicle Occupants & Injury Severity by Seating Position and Known Belt Usage.”
At what age can kids sit in the front seat of a car in Michigan?
Generally, Michigan law only allows kids who are 13 years of age or older to sit in the front seat of a car. (MCL 257.710d(4) and (5) However, they must wear a seat belt. (MCL 257.710e(3) and (5))
To learn more, check out Michigan Auto Law attorney Josh Terebelo being interviewed on WDIV Local 4 News about Michigan’s car seat laws:
Can children under 13 years of age ever sit in the front seat?
A child under 13 years of age is permitted to sit in the front seat of a vehicle only if: (1) a vehicle is not “equipped with a rear seat” or (2) “all available rear seats are occupied by children.” (MCL 257.710d(2)) However, the child must be properly restrained in the necessary rear-facing, forward-facing or booster car seat or safety belt.
If a child in a rear-facing car seat is positioned in the front seat, the “front passenger air bag” must be “deactivated.” (MCL 257.710d(2))
What are the seat belt laws for when kids can sit in the front seat in Michigan?
For kids who have either aged out of or outgrown their rear-facing, forward-facing and booster seats, the seat belt laws require them to wear a “properly adjusted and fastened safety belt” when they sit in the front seat of a vehicle in Michigan. (MCL 257.710d(4) and (5); 257.710e(3) and (5))
What are the car seat requirements for when kids can sit in the front seat in Michigan?
Although kids generally cannot sit in the front seat until they have reached 13 years of age, if a child under 13 is permitted to sit in the front seat because the vehicle has no rear seat or all of the rear seats are occupied by other children, then the Michigan car seat laws require the following:
When can’t kids sit in the front seat in Michigan?
Kids under 13 years of age must be positioned in the rear seat of the vehicle. (MCL 257.710d(4))
This is consistent with the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics that:
“All children less than 13 years old should be restrained in the rear seats of vehicles for optimal protection.”
This is also consistent with the recommendations of NHTSA: “Keep your child in the back seat at least through age 12.”
However, if there is no rear seat in the vehicle or if all of the rear seats are occupied by other children, then a child is permitted to ride in the front seat so long as he or she is properly secured in the restraint system that is appropriate for the child’s age, height and weight. (MCL 257.710d(2))
It is important to remember that a child under the age of 4 can ride in a rear-facing car seat in the front seat “only if the front passenger air bag is deactivated.” (MCL 257.710d(2))
Is it a good idea to let kids sit in the front seat?
Child safety experts say it is not a good idea to let kids sit in the front seat and recommend that children under the age of 13 ride in the rear seat and wear a seat belt and/or use a car seat or booster seat. The American Academy of Pediatrics states: “All children younger than 13 years should be restrained in the rear seats of vehicles for optimal protection.”
Similarly, NHTSA recommends that parents and adults keep children “in the back seat at least through age 12.”
As a car accident lawyer that has unfortunately had to help too many injured young children hurt in car accidents over the past 28 years, I would agree. This is sound advice.
During a crash – even a low-speed, low-impact accident – airbags deploy with tremendous force and at extreme speeds. This can cause serious injury or death to young and small children seated in the front passenger seat. Because of their size and weight, children are far more likely to be hurt in a car accident, and that risk increases substantially when a kids are sitting in the front seat.
In fact, research conducted by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia shows that “children exposed to air bags during a crash are twice as likely to suffer a serious injury.”
Injuries that children may suffer after being struck by an airbag in a crash include injuries to the chest, internal bleeding, fractures, and injuries to the head or back.
What are the penalties if you unlawfully let kids sit in the front seat?
Drivers who break the law by letting kids sit in the front seat face fines between $10 to $20. (MCL 257.907(2)(n) and (o)) Drivers may also be required to pay court costs up to $100 and a “justice system assessment” of $40. (257.907(4) and (12))
Although drivers will be guilty of a civil infraction (MCL 257.710d(7); 257.710e(9)), drivers face no jail time, no community service, no license suspensions (MCL 257.319), and no points on their driving records (MCL 257.710d(8); 257.710e(13)).
What are the rules for when kids ride in the rear seat?
The Michigan car seat laws apply when kids ride in the rear seat.
Kids under the age of 13 who are no longer required to use a rear- or forward-facing car seat or a booster seat must wear a “properly adjusted and fastened seat belt” while seated in the rear seat of a vehicle. (MCL 257.710d(4))
Kids who are 13 years of age but less than 16 years of age must wear a seat belt when they are seated in the rear seat of a vehicle. (MCL 257.710d(4) and (5); 257.710e(3) and (5))
Although Michigan law does not require it, seat belts should be worn by anyone riding in the rear seat. They protect both the people in the back and the driver and passenger in the front seat.
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