When we talk about children's death, we have to mention unintentional injuries.
We refer to damages caused by various car accidents, which may have fatal consequences and separate you from your children forever.
But, there's a simple solution - using an appropriate child restraint system.
As the various studies show, wearing seat belts can protect children and increase their survival chances up to 75%.
So, what is your main task as a parent? Buckle up your children!
In the following part, we will teach you and offer an insight into the New Jersey car seat laws and resources for all parents.
Hence, stay with us, read the article, and learn how to keep your little ones safe on the road.
New Jersey Car Seat Safety Law
According to the New Jersey Car Seat Safety Law, all children who are eight years old or younger, weighing less than eighty pounds, or more, should sit in an appropriate car seat with the following safety equipment.
Moreover, all passengers older than eight, and younger than eighteen years old, together with each driver or front-seat passenger in a motor vehicle on the highway or any other road in this US state, must wear a convenient seat belt, properly adjusted and fastened, as the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Number 209 proposes.
1. New Jersey Car Seat Law for Infants/Toddlers
As the safety passenger law indicates, all children between zero and two years old, and weigh less than thirty pounds must use rear-facing car seats with a five-point harness system.
This is vital since, in the case of a car accident, this seat will best protect their heads and other body parts.
Even if the car seat cracks, nothing wrong will happen to your babies.
2. New Jersey Car Seat Law for Two-to-Four-Year-Olds
All parents can find that the car seat safety law proposes that all kids younger than four, weighing less than forty pounds, must sit in either the rear-facing car seat or in a convenient forward-facing car seat.
Furthermore, these seats must have a five-point harness system, and parents are obligated to install and place these seats at the back of their motor vehicles, away from airbags.
Many find this imperative because, in the case of a car crash, the airbags can hurt children simply because there is too much force activating them.
Therefore, they will be safer in the back seat, untouched.
3. New Jersey Car Seat Safety Law for Four-to-Eight-Years-Old Kids
As the safety law implies, children should stay in their car seats or booster car seats in your motor vehicle's back seat until they reach eight years old and the height of fifty-seven inches.
Once they reach that age and grow enough to fulfill the prescribed size, they can use the regular adult car seats with the seat belt systems.
4. New Jersey Car Seat Safety Law for Eight-Years Old and Older Children
As the safety car seat law indicates, children who are eight years of age can use the regular car seats, but they have to use a seat belt.
When Can I Place My Child in the Front Seat of My Car?
The state of New Jersey does not clearly state when children who are eight and more are free to move from the back seats to the front car seats, next to their parents or another driver.
The FCDCP - Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that your children should remain in the back seats until they're twelve.
However, other experts claim and recommend that children should not sit in the front car seat until they're thirteen years old.
Anyhow, the point is that your children should remain in the back as long as possible, and you should teach them that they will be safer and better protected at the end.
Can/Can't I Leave My Child/children Unattended in the Car in New Jersey?
Although there are no official laws that can prohibit leaving children alone without any care in motor vehicles, parents can still be accused of negligence concerning children for this action.
Thus, there is a court that considers leaving kids alone in cars as children's abuse.
Am I Breaking the Law if I Smoke in the Car With a Kid/Kids?
Yes, you are! As the state of New Jersey implies, it is illegal to smoke in a motor vehicle with a child passenger.
A person who violates this law will have to pay a $100 fine for violating the safety passenger law.
No matter whether you're a New Jersey citizen or you're passing by this US state, you should know that the rules and regulations are the same for everyone.
Are Taxis Part of the Car Seat Safety Laws in New Jersey?
Yes, they are!
Contrary to other various America's states, New Jersey taxis must follow safety laws and regulations; therefore, they must provide appropriate car seats for children of multiple ages and development.
In collaboration with safety passenger representatives, the government officials made this decision after the Hackettstown incident, where a 14-month-old little girl was not in an appropriate car seat; hence, she suffered a head injury, and they took her to the hospital.
So, to prevent these situations and keep children safe, the New Jersey state officials proposed a car seat safety law for taxi companies.
Thus, parents shouldn't worry since their little ones will have the best protection in cabs too.
So, they don't have to use alternative ways to keep the babies safe.
Of course, they can, for their sake and security, but it's not obligatory.
Read more —
Car Seat Replacements After Car Accidents in New Jersey
As there are no official laws concerning car seat replacements, there are recommendations and instructions for parents to look for car seats instruction manuals or to contact the manufacturers for replacements.
The other option to check NHTSA instructions and see what you shall do next.
New Jersey Personal Injury Lawyer
New Jersey personal injury attorneys will do their best to help you solve the problems created by a car crash.
No matter whether you or your child suffer from injuries due to a car crash, or you want compensation for other driver's negligence, these lawyers guarantee their dedication and hard work to satisfy your needs and demands eventually.
Therefore, for your questions and explanations, you can contact +1(888)-651-3781, or send them your email and data; they will answer you in a short time and see what they can do for you.
Conclusion
As you could see, there are various New Jersey car seat laws.
Parents should follow them if they want to protect their children and keep them safe on the road.
In that way, only they can reduce the number of car crashes and decrease the death percentage among children passengers.
Let's learn together, be more responsible, and enjoy our journeys with our little ones!
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