New Jersey’s Child Passenger Safety Law Requires the Following:
- Children up to 8 or 80 pounds must ride in a safety or booster seat in the rear seat of the vehicle. If there is no rear seat, the child must sit in the front seat secured by a safety or booster seat.
- Children under age 8 who weigh more than 80 pounds must wear a seat belt anywhere in the vehicle.
- Passengers age 8 to 18 (regardless of weight) must wear a seat belt anywhere inside a vehicle.
- It’s recommended that all children under the age of 13 years be seated in the rear seat with proper restraints.
- New Jersey’s Child passenger safety law was upgraded because motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children between ages of 6 to 14.
- More than 1,700 children up to age 14 died in motor vehicle crashes nationally in 1999, with the majority not in a safety seat or seat belt.
THE 4 STEPS TO CHILD PASSENGER SAFETY
1) INFANT SEATS: Designed for children up to 1 year old and 20 pounds in weight. Infant seats are always positioned rear-facing.
2) TODDLER SEATS: Designed for children between 20 and 40 pounds. Toddler seats are always positioned forward-facing.
3) BOOSTER SEATS: Designed for children between 40 and 80 pounds. Booster seats raise a child so that the vehicle’s lap-and-shoulder belt fits properly.
4) SEAT BELTS: New Jersey law requires drivers and all passengers to wear their belts.
Ofc. Connor Murphy is a certified Child Restraint Systems (CRS) Technician. Research shows that 85% of child safety seats are installed incorrectly, often due to the wide variety of seat and vehicle combinations and confusion about proper installation. With more than 40 hours of specialized training, Ofc. Connor Murphy can properly inspect and install infant, toddler, and booster seats, helping ensure children travel safely.