There is no Missouri law that sets a specific minimum age for riding in the front seat, as long as the child is properly restrained. However, Missouri and child passenger safety experts consistently recommend keeping children in the back seat until age 13.
Regardless of whether your child was riding in the front or back seat, if you and your child were injured in a car accident, our St. Louis car accident attorneys can help you understand your legal options. Contact us today to schedule your free consultation today.
Missouri’s Child Passenger Restraint Laws
Missouri’s restraint requirements are based on age, weight, and height rather than a fixed front seat rule.
Under Age 4 (or Under 40 Pounds)
- Must be secured in an approved rear-facing or forward-facing child passenger restraint system
- Rear-facing is strongly preferred for as long as the child fits within the seat’s weight and height limits
Ages 4 Through 7
- Must remain in a child safety seat or booster seat
- Exception applies if the child is at least 80 pounds or 4 feet 9 inches tall
- Booster seats are designed to position the seat belt correctly across a child’s body
Ages 8 and Older
- Children who meet the height or weight exceptions may use a standard seat belt
- The seat belt should fit properly, with the lap belt across the hips and shoulder belt across the chest, not the neck
When Missouri Law Considers a Child Properly Restrained
Missouri law sets a clear standard for what counts as proper restraint. The system must be federally approved, and it must be installed and used according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Missouri places the legal responsibility for meeting this standard on the driver, not a parent who may be riding as a passenger.
Why the Back Seat Is Safer Regardless of the Law
Airbags are designed with adult bodies in mind, and for children, they can cause serious injury rather than prevent it. In a frontal collision, airbag deployment generates significant force at a height and speed that is simply dangerous for smaller passengers. The back seat addresses this by putting additional distance between a child and the point of impact.
How Child Restraint Violations Affect a Personal Injury Case
When a child is injured in an accident while improperly restrained, the defense will often argue that the improper restraint contributed to the severity of those injuries. Under Missouri’s pure comparative fault system, this argument can reduce the amount of compensation available, but it does not necessarily eliminate it.
If another driver caused the accident, their negligence remains the primary factor regardless of how the child was seated at the time. Because of this, documentation of restraint use at the moment of the crash can become a critical piece of evidence when building a personal injury claim on a child’s behalf.
When to Contact a Missouri Personal Injury Attorney
Any time a child has been injured in a car accident, regardless of where they were seated, it is worth speaking with an attorney. This is especially true if an insurance company is raising improper restraint as a reason to reduce a claim, or if there are any open questions about liability or available compensation.
Our St. Louis personal injury attorneys at Meyerkord & Kurth offer a free consultation and collect no fees unless compensation is recovered.