Child Care & Development Council
Car Seat Law in NYS
Child Passenger Laws vary from state to state. You can help your parents understand how best to protect their children by educating yourself on the current laws in New York regarding children in vehicals. Here are some questions that I get asked most often: 1. How old before my child can just sit normally in a seat belt in the car? Answer ------8yrs old! And even then, be sure that the seat belt can be placed correctly on the clavicle bones of the chest, not on the neck, and low on the hips, not over the belly. The booster seat is a critical piece of safety equipment for the 6-8 age group because it boosts them into this correct belt placement position. 2. What about going from a full harness car seat to a highback booster seat? Answer ------It depends on a few criteria: First of all, experts recommend that your child be in a five point harness for as long as the seat and harness weight restrtictions will allow. Many seats will top out at 40 pounds forward facing in the harness. Some seats, usually more expensive, will have harnesses rated to 50 or 65 pounds. Ideally, your child should be developmentally able to understand the dangers of pushing the red button on the seat belt while the car is moving - so generally speaking that may be age 4 or later. You may have to go to the more expensive seat that goes to a higher weight harness if, say, you have a 3 year old who is big for his age and might weigh more than the 40 pound limit in that particular car seat. The labels and instruction book that comes with the car seat will tell you all you need to know about the weight and height specifications or you can find your car seat model on line to check it out. 3. Do car seats expire? Answer ......YES! Most manufacturers are putting an expiration date on their seats for 6 years. As new technology becomes available, parents are demanding the safest ride for their children! 4. How can I get the tightest installation for my child's car seat? Answer ......Are you able to use LATCH? I have found that the LATCH system (lower anchors and tethers found in cars 2002 and newer) provides for an easy and tight install - MOST of the time. There are always exceptions, however. If it's not tight, you may have to abandon LATCH installation and go back to seat belt installation. Apply counter weight when doing either type of install and you will get the tightest fit you can. The seat should move no more than one inch at the belt path.