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CHILD SAFETY SEAT REGULATIONS:

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among children ages 14 and under.

It is estimated that 9 out of 10 children under the age of 4 are improperly restrained.

Tips:

  • Children under 7 years of age must be restrained in a child restraint system.
  • The safest place to install a car seat is usually the center of the back seat.
  • Fasten the harness retaining clip at armpit level.
  • Keep harness straps snug (should be able to slip only 1 finger between harness straps and the child’s collar bone).
  • Fasten seat belt tightly and make sure car seat cannot move more than about one inch forward or sideward. 
  • It is okay for the top of a rear-facing seat to tip up toward the back of the vehicle.
  • For cars with leather seats, place a thin, rubberized pad (shelf liner) between the leather seats and the car seat to help reduce slippage.
  • Children 12 and under should ride in the back seat, away from air bags.
  • Children under the age of 16 riding in the back seat must wear seat belts.

 

Less than  20 pounds up  or to 1 year old:

·        Use a rear-facing infant seat or rear-facing convertible seat.

·        NEVER place a rear-facing seat in the front seat with an air bag unless the air bag can be deactivated.

·        Put the car seat carrying handle down on infant seats when in the car.

·        Route harness straps in lower slots, at or below shoulder level.

·        Install car seat at 45-degree angle.  If necessary to achieve this angle, place a pool noodle rather than a rolled towel under the front edge of the infant seat. 

·        If the infant’s head extends beyond the top of the seat’s shell, switch to a rear-facing convertible seat.

20 to 40 pounds and more than 1 year old:

·        Use a forward-facing car seat.

·        Route harness straps in upper slot, at or above shoulder level.

40 to 80 pounds and less than 4’9”:

·        Use a forward-facing, belt positioning booster seat with lap and shoulder seat belt.

·        Place shoulder strap over the shoulder (NEVER across the neck) and snug across the chest.

·        Place lap belt low and tight on the hips, NOT over the stomach.

  * On April 19, 2005 subdivisions 1 and 2 of section 1229- of the Vehicle and Traffic Law are amended to create an exemption from the booster seat requirement, provided the child is restrained by a lap safety belt. The amendments allow a child under age 4, who weighs more than 40 pounds, or a child of any weight who is 4, 5 or 6 years of age, to be restrained solely by a lap safety belt if the vehicle is not equipped with combination lap and shoulder harness belts, or if those combination belts are available, but are being used to restrain other passengers  under the age of 16.

Age 7 and above:

·        Use only the lap and shoulder seat belt.

·        Shoulder belt should never be placed under arms or behind back.


Age 12 and above:

·                     The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends that all children 12 or under be placed in a seat without Air Bags.  The center rear seats are preferred. 

 

Booster Seats: 

·                     Booster seats are designed to be used in conjunction with combination shoulder harness and lap safety belts.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, booster seats should never be used with lap belts alone. This law   (see above *) permits the use of a lap safety belt when the child meets the age and weight criteria described above and there is no seating position appropriate for a booster seat available in the vehicle.

·                     Please click below, there is a new government web site devoted to booster seats.
http://www.boosterseat.gov/

 

Click to print a Copy

 

Web Site Updated by David C. Maziarz
Maziarzdave@hotmail.com