Child restraint law — South Dakota Permit Test

Child restraint law on the South Dakota permit test — 3 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.

The rules

Under SDCL 32-37-1, any operator transporting a child under 5 years of age must secure the child in a child passenger restraint system according to its manufacturer’s instructions.

A small child held only by an adult belt slides out of it and is thrown in a crash.

Any operator of any passenger vehicle transporting a child under five years of age on the streets and highways of this state shall properly secure the child in a child passenger restraint system according to its manufacturer's instructions.
South Dakota Driver License Manual, p.27

A child under 5 who weighs at least 40 pounds may be secured with a seat belt instead of a child restraint system.

A heavy child squeezed into an outgrown seat is not held well, so the law allows a belt instead.

The requirements of this section are met if the child is under five years of age and is at least forty pounds in weight by securing the child in a seatbelt.
South Dakota Driver License Manual, p.27

An operator who fails to secure a child under 5 as SDCL 32-37-1 requires commits a petty offense.

Drivers who skip the car seat on a short trip risk the one crash that kills a toddler.

An operator who violates this section commits a petty offense.
South Dakota Driver License Manual, p.27

On the test

Under SDCL 32-37-1, how must an operator secure a child under 5?

In a child passenger restraint system. A small child held only by an adult belt slides out of it and is thrown in a crash. South Dakota Driver License Manual, p.27: “Any operator of any passenger vehicle transporting a child under five years of age on the streets and highways of this state shall properly secure the child in a child passenger restraint system according to its manufacturer's instructions.”

How this works

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You read one law and the reason behind it, then answer a question on that law while it is still fresh. Get it right and you move on; get it wrong and you have found the gap while it is cheap to fix, not on the morning of the exam.

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Where these come from

Every rule here is checked against South Dakota Driver License Manual, published by the South Dakota Department of Public Safety, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-10-04.