Did you know that over 12,800 car crashes are reported in Texas each year, resulting in almost 16,000 serious injuries? According to the Texas Department of Transportation, these figures represent a real and ever-present risk for Texas drivers.
With children at an increased risk of injury and death, if a vehicle accident were to occur, an increased focus has been placed on education, compliance, and upholding Texas car seat laws in 2025.
As more motorists hit the roadways this year, obeying the Texas seat belt law is more important than ever. As a matter of life and death, every effort should be made to ensure you and your family are safe by following federal standards on seat requirements.
In this guide, we explore all of Texas’ car seat laws for 2025 and how you can ensure your child or children are correctly secured to the passenger safety seat system whenever you hit the road.
Children and Car Seat Violations: An Increasing Concern in Texas
Developing bodies and fragile immune systems make children more susceptible to severe injury or death than their adult counterparts. Yet, many parents have not been adequately educated on properly and legally securing their children according to federal safety standards when hitting the roadways.
According to the CDC, many victims of insufficient or improper seat belt use across the United States were underage children. These children (35%) were either improperly restrained or wore no seat belts. The result? A 2017 report revealed that failure to adhere to seat belt and car seat laws resulted in 116,000 severe injuries to children.
Another study published by the American Automotive Association (AAA) revealed that motor vehicle accidents are the number one cause of child fatalities and that the proper use of a car seat can reduce the risk of death by more than 25% and the risk of injury by up to 82%.
Most parents are eager to do the right thing and protect their children at any cost. Understanding and adhering to the Texas car seat law in 2025 can help protect your child while also ensuring you avoid costly traffic violations.
The Importance of Proper Insurance
Despite this being a guide about car seats in Texas in 2025, and despite your best efforts to protect yourself and your family, accidents do happen.
Those with children should be especially mindful about making sure they have adequate car insurance in Houston, TX, in the unfortunate event that they are among the thousands of motorists involved in accidents across the state each year.
Texas Car Seat Laws for Infants
Infants are especially susceptible to harm in a vehicle crash. With their tiny skeletons made up of soft cartilage not yet hardened into adult bone, any jarring crash or thrashing can result in severe injury or death.
Because of this, a child car seat is always mandatory for any child who weighs less than 35 lbs or is less than 1 year of age. Infants and babies should be restrained in a rear-facing car seat at the back of the vehicle, not the front passenger seat.
Why is the Front Car Seat So Dangerous For A Small Child?
Rear-facing car seats are engineered to be placed in the back of the vehicle, facing, you guessed it, backward. Securing a rear-facing seat in the front passenger area is illegal (in most circumstances) and potentially deadly. If deployed, any child in this position will be subject to both the side and front airbags. The velocity of airbags has been measured at a force sufficient to cause severe head, neck, and face injury and is enough to kill a small child.
Even in vehicles without airbags, there is an increased risk of the child being thrown against the dashboard or through the windshield when they are in a forward-facing car seat and not a rear-facing safety seat.
Car Seat Laws for Toddlers
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, your toddlers must use rear-facing child seats so long as they fit the criteria set by the car seat manufacturer. Every car seat manufacturer will include guidelines regarding the minimum and maximum height limits, age, and weight appropriate for that child passenger safety seat. As a general rule of thumb, children usually ‘outgrow’ a rear-facing car seat between the ages of 1-2.
Remember, the same rule applies to infants. All toddlers must be in a rear-facing car seat until they are over 35lbs in weight or one year of age or older, as being in a forward-facing safety seat would be too dangerous for them before that moment.
Car Seat Law for a Booster Seat
The transition to a belt-positioning booster seat usually occurs when your child has reached a weight of 40 lbs or greater and is at least four years old. They may be secured in a booster seat in the back, using a lap and shoulder belt according to child passenger safety laws.
You will continue to use a booster seat with your child until they reach at least 4’ 9” inches in height, weigh between 80-100lbs, and are at least eight years old. Generally speaking, most children qualify to use an adult safety belt between the ages of 8-12.
TIP: Booster car seats are permanently installed in the back of the vehicle.
TIP: Booster car seats have a lap and shoulder harness. Always use both.
Safety of Riding in the Front Car Seat
Interestingly, Texas does not prescribe a definitive age at which your child can ride in the front vehicle seat. However, we suggest following the advice of the American Academy of Pediatrics, which states that any child under 13 years of age should be in the back car seat with proper safety restraints and seat safety seats according to the seat installation weight and height limits.
Is Your Child Ready to Use an Adult Seat Belt?
Has your child reached the required minimum weight, height, and age to use an adult safety belt? If so, as a parent, you may still be concerned about whether they are ready to make the transition without using a booster seat.
Below are a few tips you can use to help you make that determination:
- A quick and easy test: Have your child sit in your car without using a booster seat. Note whether or not their legs naturally bend and hang where the seat ends. If they do, they’re ready. They are not prepared if they don’t (legs stick forward at an angle).
- When placing the seat belt over your child, note whether or not the lap portion of the belt remains low on their hips. If not, they still need a booster seat.
- When strapped in, the shoulder strap of the safety belt should rest comfortably over the collarbone, not the shoulder, neck, or face.
- Can your child maintain proper posture for long durations of time, or can they sit still or wriggle out of the safety belt?
Key Takeaways on Texas Car Seats for 2025
We always want to protect our children, but when it comes to car seat laws in Texas, things can get confusing fast. By following the tips in this guide and keeping up to date with any new rules of the road regarding travel car seats, you can ensure that you, too, are following all of the recommended guidelines to keep you and your family safe this year.
Interested in reading more about Texas? Read our Ultimate Guide on How to Sell a Car in Texas.
