Recreational Vehicle - What are the laws regarding the placement of a car seat when traveling in a recreational vehicle (RV)?

What are the laws regarding the placement of a car seat when traveling in a recreational vehicle (RV)?

My concern is that the only seat which we can safely use is also the front seat - is this illegal?

Public Comments

Car seats in RVs is not the *best* idea for this very reason. The ideal thing to do would be to drive a car as well so that there is a safe place to put the carseat. However, if the child *must* go in the RV a front seat with no airbag is the best spot and is (I believe) legal in every state. You should never install a carseat on a seat that faces the rear or the side even if it does have a seatbelt (and of course most don't). Just keep in mind that *any* passenger in the front seat is more likely to be injured in an accident.
Yes and No depending on the state where you are traveling to and from.. But you cannot use car seats in the rear of RV"s because most all are not reinforced they are only bolted down to the wood section and not the metal portion.......
RV's are tricky. You are correct - most RV's only have safe placement of a carseat in a front seat where the seats are actually welded to the frame of the vehicle. The rear seating positions are exempt from standard safety requirements. Is your child rear facing or forward facing? Is their an airbag in the front seat? If there is NO airbag, you can put a child safety seat in the front seat forward facing or rear facing. If there is an airbag, you technically can put a seat in the front seat (its not illegal) - but you should pull the seat as far away from the dash as possible so they are as far from the airbag as possible. if you have an airbag, it is deadly to place a rear facing carseat there. Also - confirm that the seatbelts lock. If they do not, you'll have to use a locking clip (that little gold double sided T that comes with the carseat). It goes 1" from the belt stock on a tight belt. If you want, go to www.car-seat.org and post your question there - we have a lot of people who are techs who are familiar with RV's and their setups.