Nevada · Handbook chapter 2 · 2 min read

Nevada's seat belt law, child restraint rules for children under 6 or under 57 inches, rear-facing seats for babies under 2, airbags, and the laws on leaving children and pets in vehicles.

Why this chapter matters

Seat belts are your best protection in a crash, and in Nevada they are the law. The test likes the child seat numbers: 6 years, 57 inches and 2 years.

Who must buckle up

• The driver and every passenger aged 6 or older must wear a seat belt if the vehicle has one.
• Children under 6 and children under 57 inches tall must ride in an approved child restraint. Breaking this rule can bring fines, community service or a license suspension.
• Children under 2 must ride in a rear-facing child seat in the back seat.
• Never hold a child on your lap or buckle two people into one belt.

Babies, children and airbags

• The back seat is generally the safest place for children.
• Never put an infant in the front seat of a car with a passenger airbag. An airbag inflates at about 200 mph and can strike the back of a rear-facing seat with great force.
• If an older child must ride in front, move the seat as far back as possible and use a proper harness or a well-fitted lap and shoulder belt.
• Check that a child seat is approved, fits the child's size and weight, and is installed as the maker's instructions say.

Children move from a rear-facing seat to a forward-facing seat, then a booster seat, and finally the vehicle's seat belt as they grow.

Children and pets left in vehicles

• Do not leave a child aged 7 or younger alone in a vehicle when conditions put the child's health or safety at serious risk, unless someone at least 12 years old is supervising within sight.
• It is illegal to leave a dog or cat in a vehicle during extreme heat or cold. Police, firefighters and other officials are allowed to use reasonable force to get the animal out.

Both are misdemeanors.