Child Passenger Safety Laws in Oregon

Oregon's Child Passenger Safety Law Changed

Oregon law assists drivers in the decision of how to properly

restrain and protect children in motor vehicles. When children

are properly restrained it significantly decreases the severity of

injuries and number of fatalities that occur in a crash. The recent

amendments to Oregon1s law now reflect national best practice.

Changes to the law include:

• Infants must ride rear facing until they are one year old and twenty pounds. Before children

can ride forward facing, they must meet both of these benchmarks.

• Once a child has reached a minimum of forty pounds they must be properly secured in a

booster seat until they are eight years old or are taller than four feet nine inches.

• After a child is age eight or older, or they are at least four feet nine inches they must be

secured properly with the safety belt system.

The law continues to require:

Children over one year old and between twenty and forty pounds must be properly secured with a

forward facing child restraint up to a minimum of forty pounds or the upper weight limit of the seat.

The changes to the law amend ORS 811.210 and 811.215. These reformations to the law were

created with the safety of Oregon's children as a priority. Questions can be directed to ACTS Oregon1s

Child Safety Seat Resource Center: 503-643-5620, 800-772-1315.

Effective January 1, 2004 Senate Bill 182 exempts a child from the booster seat requirement when the

rear seat of the vehicle he or she is riding in is equipped only with lap belts, provided the child is

secured by the lap belt.

The offense described in this section, failure to properly use safety belts or child restraints, is a Class

D traffic violation resulting in a $97.00 fine.

ORS 811.205

Pick Up Truck Restrictions

Effective November 2003, House Bill 2338 amended ORS 811.205 to prohibit children under 18 years

of age from riding in the open bed of a pick up truck. This offense is a Class B traffic violation resulting

in a $242.00 fine.