Car Seat Safety Archives - Page 2 of 2

The AAP has stated that rear facing is the safest and children should remain rear facing in their car seat until at least age 2 and one study shows rearfacing between 12-24 months is 532% safer than forward facing. Finally, New Jersey has passed a law making sure that more children will remain rearfacing until at least two years old. On March 16, 2015, both Houses in New Jersey passed bill A-3161 and on May 7, 2015, Governor Chris Christie, signed the bill into law that will go into effect come September 1, 2015.

The previous law stated that all children under 8 years old AND less than 80 pounds must be in a child seat and in a rear seat of the car if available. The new bill amends that law and makes the following specifications:

2 years and under – What the new law says – A child under the age of two years and weighing less than 30 pounds shall be secured in a rear facing child passenger restraint system, which is equipped with a five-point harness.
- What this means – If you have a child two years old or younger who weighs less than 30 lbs must remain rear facing in a 5 point harness. Once your child is either 2 years old (or older) or weighs 30lbs, they may be turned forward facing, though rear facing will still be the safest for them.
4 years and under – What the new law says –. A child under the age of four years and weighing less than 40 pounds shall be secured: (1) in a rear facing child passenger restraint system, which is equipped with a five-point harness, until the child outgrows the top height or top weight recommendations made by the manufacturer of the child passenger restraint system, at which point the child shall be secured in a rear seat, in a forward facing child passenger restraint system which is equipped with a five-point harness; or (2) in a forward facing child passenger restraint system which is equipped with a five-point harness
- What this means- From ages 3-4 and less than 40lbs should remain rear facing in a five point harness until they outgrow the maximum height/weight requirements of their specific seat. Once they outgrow the maximum requirements for rear facing then they can be turned forward facing, but must remain in a 5 point harness or they can be forward facing, but must stay in a five-point harness. Ultimately, safety should be the top concern and rear facing as long as possible.
8 years and under – What the new law says –. A child under the age of eight years and less than 57 inches in height shall be secured: (1) in a forward facing child passenger restraint system which is equipped with a five-point harness, until the child outgrows the top height or top weight recommendations made by the manufacturer of the child passenger restraint system, at which point the child shall be secured in a rear seat, in a booster seat; or (2) in a booster seat.
- What this means- From ages 5-8 years old AND under 57 inches a child should remain in a five point harness until they outgrow the maximum height/weight requirements of their specific seat. Once they outgrow the maximum requirements for a 5 point harness they can be turned secured in a booster seat.
What new law says about vehicles with no rear seat – If there are no rear seats, the child shall be secured in a child passenger restraint system or booster seat [, as described in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Number 213] in a front seat of a motor vehicle except that no child shall be secured in a rear facing child passenger restraint system in a front seat of any motor vehicle which is equipped with a passenger-side airbag that is not disabled or turned off.
- What this means – If you drive a vehicle, such as a pick up truck, that does not have a rear seat you should follow the above new laws the same way, EXCEPT in the event that the passenger side airbag MUST be disabled or turned off. If you cannot disable or turn off, then the child cannot ride in the vehicle.

QUICK BREAKDOWN

2 years and younger AND under 30 lbs – Must be rear facing in a 5 point harness
4 years and younger AND under 40lbs – Must remain in a 5 point harness. Should remain rear facing until the maximum seat requirements of their car seat is met and can then turn forward facing.
8 years and younger AND under 57 inches should remain in a 5 point harness until the maximum seat requirements of their car seat is met and can then they can move to a booster.

More Resources

You can view the full bill here.
Here’s rearfacing car seat myths busted in case you don’t think it’s possible.
Child over 8 years old? See if they are really ready for a seat belt or if they should remain boostered.

Between 2009-2013, 1,522 kids between 8-14 years old died in a vehicle crash. That’s one child passenger in this age ranged every 8 minutes. We always hear about infant, toddler, and even preschooler car seat safety, but what about older children? Tweens, the age range of 8-14, still need proper car seat safety precautions, especially seat belt safety that many parents overlook just because their children are bigger. So what are the proper Tween Seat Belt Safety guidelines?

If we are being 100% honest, there’s no perfect answer here. Children in the tween age range vary greatly on weight, height, and even maturity levels, that all need to be taken into consideration when dealing with seat belt safety at this age. The first step that you need to be taking is to make sure that YOU are properly secured in a seat belt every time. At this age, if you aren’t taking your own safety into accountant, they are less likely to feel like they need too.

Now, let’s talk about whether your tween should still be in a booster seat or if they are ready for just a seat belt. It’s important to know the child restraint laws of your state. Here in NJ, ALL children under 8 years of age, should be in a child restraint seat. That means a booster until at least 8 years old; however, just because a child turns 8, doesn’t mean they are ready to move from a booster to a seat belt (just like a child who turns one isn’t ready for forward facing). So what are you looking for?

According to Car Seats for the Littles (CSFTL), boosters are very older children and before a seat belt is even considered, children should be able to pass these FIVE steps:

Shoulder belt against SHOULDER (not neck)
Lap Belt across Thighs (not abdomen)
Butt all the way back to seat
Knees bent beyond the edge of the seat AND their feet can touch the floor
Stay in this position for the entire length of the trip

According to CSFTL, this doesn’t happen until around 10-12 years old, or a child is 4’9″.

“But, I wasn’t 4’9” until high school, maybe even college?” Thinking that yourself? The difference is that an older teenager/adult has had a longer time for bones to ossify. Bones have not completed the ossification process until 17-25 years old, with a majority of the process happening during the critical ages of 7-14, the tween years, which is why it is vital for tween seat belt safety to be followed.

When the seat belt is not properly positioned, the force of the crash is greater on non-ossified bones, creating a great risk to organs inside of those bones and increasing the risk of spinal injuries, as described in more detail by The Car Seat Lady here.

The fact is that a majority of children aren’t in the right seat, but there’s no better time than the present to fix it! Never compromise on car seat safety with you child, regardless of age.

You can find more tips at safercar.gov about tween seat belt safety and other car seat tips.

New Jersey’s New Car Seat Laws 2015

Tween Seat Belt Safety

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