Legislation to bolster car safety for young children was unanimously passed by both houses of the legislature and now heads to the governor’s desk.
The bill, sponsored by Assembly Democrat Pamela Lampitt, passed the Assembly in June and was approved by the Senate on Monday.
“With advances in research and car safety technology, recommendations to protect children in motor vehicles are always changing. Just look how different things were just a decade or two ago,” said Lampitt (D-Camden/Burlington), chairwoman of the Assembly Women and Children Committee. “Incorporating the latest recommendations will help ensure that we’re doing all we can to protect young children in automobiles.”
The bill (A-3161) would amend the state’s child passenger restraint system and booster seat law to implement the latest car seat safety recommendations.
Under current law, every person operating a motor vehicle equipped with safety belts (other than a school bus) who is transporting a child under the age of eight years and weighing less than 80 pounds must secure the child in a child passenger restraint system or booster seat.
The bill amends the law to specify that when being transported in a motor vehicle:
§ A child under the age of two years and weighing less than 30 pounds must be secured rear facing in a child passenger restraint system equipped with a five-point harness.
§ A child under the age of four years and weighing less than 40 pounds must be secured:
o in a rear facing child passenger restraint system, equipped with a five-point harness until he outgrows the height or weight limitation for rear facing imposed by the manufacturer of the child passenger restraint system, at which point he will be secured forward facing; or
o in a forward facing child passenger restraint system equipped with a five-point harness.
§ A child under the age of eight years and less than 57 inches in height must be secured:
o in a forward facing passenger restraint system which is equipped with a five-point harness, until he outgrows the height or weight limitation imposed by the manufacturer of the child passenger restraint system, at which point the child is to be secured in a rear seat, in a booster seat; or
o in a rear seat, in a booster seat.
The bill would also require the state Division of Highway Traffic Safety to print and distribute materials advising the public as to the changes in the law.
Finally, the bill amends the penalty amount to reflect the current penalty assessed for a violation of the act and removes the provision that a fine must be suspended by the court if the motor vehicle operator was using a child passenger restraint system not in current compliance with the law, but which was compliant at one point in time.
[TLS]
This law is brought to you by the Child Car Seat Companies. It is meant to force you to buy new seats for your children. Also, by deleting the provision ” if the motor vehicle operator was using a child passenger restraint system not in current compliance with the law, but which was compliant at one point in time. ” the state can now collect more money via mandatory fines.
Hooray!!!
This is a perfect example of laws enacted as a result ofsuccessful lobbying by large companies.
Follow the money, ask which politician got how big a donation from what lobby group and as always there is a fine for not complying. Say it with me “money, money, money…”
When are we going to vote these “tax and spend” Democrats out. How many more laws are they going shove at us because they know how we should live?
What about people from out of state who are either visiting NJ or traveling through the state to another state?
Just put your seat belt on. I see people driving around all the time with their kids jumping around in the back.
that’s crazy. my 4 year old will never sit in a backwards facing seat staring at the upholstery. these legislators are out of there mind. they sneaked the bill through so there was no protest. why don’t we all call singers office to find out why he voted for such a nonsensical law? i’m all for safety but not when it imposes rediculous and impracticle demands on the parents.
Why don’t they pass that the driver must be in a rear facing five point harness car seat?!?