Child Passenger Safety in New York State

A Message from Governor George E. Pataki

There is no better way to travel than knowing your child is properly protected. This is why New York State requires young children riding in motor vehicles to be protected by child safety seats that meet federal safety standards. Increasing public safety is my top priority, especially when it comes to preserving the safety and well being of hundreds of children and teaching a new generation safe travel practices. The simple act of properly buckling your child into a safety seat reduces the possibility of serious injury in a crash and helps to develop a lifelong safety habit.
George E. Pataki

A Message from Commissioner Raymond P. Martinez

Under Governor Pataki's leadership, New York State is continuing to make its roads and highways safer. One example is the use of child safety seats to save lives and help prevent serious injuries. A crash or sudden stop, even at low speeds, can cause severe injury to young children not protected by child safety seats. The safest place for a younger child to ride is in the center of the rear seat, properly protected by a federally certified child safety seat. Set a good example by always wearing your seat belt and making sure that all young passengers are buckled in safely. It's a good habit for life.
Raymond P. Martinez

CHILD SAFETY SEATS

CONVERTIBLE SEAT/ 5-POINT
HARNESS SYSTEM

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among children ages 14 and under. Most parents believe they are using child safety seats properly, but it is estimated that four out of five children are improperly restrained.

This booklet was designed to provide parents and caregivers information regarding the proper use and installation of child safety seats.

Properly restrain your children every time they ride in a Duck vehicle. When used properly, child safety seats can prevent injuries and save lives.

Choosing the Correct Child Safety Seat

The law alone does not provide adequate protection for a child riding in a motor vehicle. A combination of factors need to be considered:

height and weight of your child,

the type and age of your child safety seat, and

the way you secure your child and seat into the car.

Make sure the child safety seat you use is the proper type for your child. Base your selection on your child's weight and height and on compatibility with your vehicle. Weight and height guidelines can be found on the child safety seat and in the seat's instruction manual. Some child safety seats will not work well with some vehicle seats or with certain seat belts. You may have to try several child safety seats to find the one that is most compatible with your vehicle.

MAKE SURE THAT YOU RETURN THE CAR SEAT REGISTRATION CARD TO THE MANUFACTURER.

Installing Your Child Safety Seat

Your safety seat must be secured to the vehicle with the seat belt. The child must also be secured in the safety seat by it's harness. Follow the use and installation instructions closely.

Be sure to install the car seat appropriately. Some vehicles are equipped with a lap and shoulder belt combination and others have only lap belts. The lap belt (or lap belt portion of the lap and shoulder belt combination) must hold the child safety seat firmly in place. The safety seat must fit securely against the back of the vehicle's seat. To achieve the tightest fit, push down on the car seat with your full weight while adjusting the lap belt. The child safety seat should not move more than one inch when pulled from side to side and forward and back.

THE SAFEST PLACE FOR A CHILD TO RIDE IS IN THE CENTER OF THE BACK SEAT.

Infant Seats

Infant seats are designed for infants who weigh from 5 pounds to 22 pounds and are less than 26" in height. Infant seats are always installed facing the rear of the vehicle. These seats are designed specifically to cushion and support babies. The rear-facing infant seat cushions the infant's large head and back as the neck muscles of an infant under the age of one are not developed enough to support their heads during a sudden stop or crash.

INFANTS SHOULD REMAIN IN REAR-FACING SEATS
UNTIL THEY WEIGH 20 POUNDS AND ARE ONE YEAR OF AGE.

	Position infant seats so they are semi-reclined at 45 degrees from horizontal. To help achieve this angle, place a tightly rolled bath towel or a rounded piece of styrofoam such as a pool noodle under the front edge of the infant seat. (see photo above)
	The harness straps should be positioned in the slots at or below the infant's shoulders.
	Harness straps should fit snugly over the infant. Adjust the harness so that you can slip only one finger between the harness and the infant's collar bone. Place the harness retainer clip at armpit level.
	An infant's head should not extend beyond the top of the seat's shell.
	If an infant weighs from 20 up to 30 pounds and is under one year old, switch to a rear-facing convertible seat. (see photo)
	If an infant has a medical problem and must stay in a flat position, you may use a federally approved car bed. (see photo)

Convertible Seats

CONVERTIBLE SEAT
TRAY SHIELD
3-POINT HARNESS SYSTEM

Convertible seats are designed to fit infants and children weighing up to 40 pounds. They can be adjusted to face the rear of a vehicle for infants and to face forward for older children.

If used for an infant, the convertible seat needs to be rear-facing, and put in the reclined position, with the harness straps threaded at or below the infant's shoulder level. Be sure to read the child safety seat instructions and the vehicle owner's manual carefully before installing your child safety seat.

Convertible seats are available with three different types of harness systems:

3-point harness/tray shield system (photo left), and

3-point harness/T-shield system (photo below), and

5-point harness system (not shown).

CONVERTIBLE SEAT T-SHIELD
3-POINT HARNESS SYSTEM

Shield systems are not recommended for very small infants, because it is difficult to achieve a snug harness fit. The 5-point harness system offers better protection for infants and children, as it provides a snug fit.

For children who weigh from 20 to 40 pounds, are at least one year old and have been able to sit unsupported for a least one month, place the convertible seat facing forward in an upright position. Move the shoulder harness and thread the harness straps through the top slots of the safety seat, at or above shoulder level, unless the manufacturer's instructions permit otherwise.

Children outgrow a convertible safety seat when they reach its Duck weight limit, or their shoulders are above the top harness slots, or their ears are above the seat's shell.

Forward Facing Seats Only
FORWARD-FACING SEAT 5-POINT HARNESS SYSTEM	Some child seats are designed as forward facing seats only. Do not use these seats for infants. Some vehicles are equipped with built-in child safety seats. Read the owner's manual for instructions.

ALWAYS READ THE CHILD SAFETY SEAT INSTRUCTIONS AND YOUR VEHICLE OWNER'S MANUAL CAREFULLY BEFORE INSTALLING YOUR CHILD SAFETY SEAT.

Booster Seats There are two types of booster seats, those with shields and those without shields (belt-positioning boosters). Booster seats are designed for forward-facing use only. They are used as a transition to using vehicle safety belts by older children who have clearly outgrown their convertible child safety seat. When a child's shoulders are above the top set of harness strap slots, it is time to use a booster seat. A booster seat makes the vehicle's lap and shoulder belts fit correctly. By making the child sit higher, the booster seat enables the seat belt to fit low over the hips and upper thighs and snug over the shoulders. If the lap belt rides up onto a child's abdomen, there is a risk of serious internal injury in a crash. When your child reaches the weight or height limit of your booster seat, or when the middle of the child's ears are above the back of the vehicle seat, it is time to use a seat belt only. CHILDREN WHO OUTGROW SAFETY SEATS ARE BETTER PROTECTED BY A LAP/SHOULDER BELT THAN BY A LAP BELT ALONE.

SHIELD BOOSTER	Shield Booster Seats Shield booster seats are for children weighing 30 to 40 pounds and are used when a vehicle's rear seat is equipped only with lap belts and no shoulder belts. Shield boosters manufactured after September 1996 are certified for children only up to 40 pounds when using the shield. If the shield is removable, and a lap/shoulder belt is available, it is then preferable to remove the shield and use the base as a belt positioning booster. Using the seat this way can accommodate children up to 60 pounds. Be sure to read the manufacturer's instructions.

IF YOUR CHILD WEIGHS OVER 40 POUNDS, THE BEST PRACTICE IS TO TAKE OFF THE SHIELD AND USE THE VEHICLE'S LAP AND SHOULDER BELT.

BELT-POSITIONING BOOSTER

Belt-Positioning Booster Seats

The belt-positioning booster seat has a base that the child sits on and is used only with a lap/shoulder belt combination. This type of booster seat provides protection because the shoulder belt reduces the distance the child's head can move in a crash. Belt-positioning boosters are available with and without a seat back. Those without a seat back usually come with a strap and clip to help adjust the vehicle shoulder belt properly.

If a vehicle's seat back is lower than the child's ears, a high back booster seat is needed to improve the child's neck position and protect the head. High back boosters are available with and without a 5-point harness system.

HIGH BACK
BELT-POSITIONING BOOSTER

The belt-positioning booster seat, when used with a 5-point harness, is designed to replicate a forward-facing safety seat for a child weighing up to 40 pounds. When the harness is removed, the seat may be used as a belt-positioning booster for a child weighing 40 to 80 pounds. The child must be secured with a lap and shoulder belt. Read the child safety seat instructions to find the seat's weight limit.

Child Safety Seats for Children with Special Needs

CAR BED FOR PREMATURE BABIES

A variety of restraints are available for children that require special transportation needs and conventional child safety seats are not suitable. There are special needs seats for low birth weight/premature babies and children with orthopedic conditions, neuromuscular conditions, and behavioral problems. Please contact your health care provider or local hospital to get information about obtaining a special needs child safety restraint.

Used Child Safety Seats

A new safety seat has all its original parts, an instruction manual, and the advantage of the latest advances in car seat technology. If you purchase a used model, keep the following in mind:

	Never use a safety seat more than 10 years old or manufactured before 1981. Safety Seats that old should be destroyed, not given away or reused. Some manufacturers recommend that their child safety seats not be used more than six years after the date of manufacture.
	Make sure the label states the brand name, model number, date of manufacture, and compliance with federal motor vehicle safety standards. If the label is missing, do not use the seat.
	If the seat is missing its instructions, you can obtain a copy by calling the manufacturer. (Most manufacturers have a toll-free number). You need these instructions to install the seat properly.
	Find out if the seat has ever been recalled. The manufacturer can advise you of a recall. Be prepared to provide the seat's name, model number and production date.

	Never use a child safety seat that has been in a crash. Even if the seat looks okay, it may have been damaged and might not adequately protect your child.
	Make sure the seat has all of its parts: harness straps, retainer clips, padding, shield, tether straps, and bolts. If there are missing parts, don't use the seat. You may get the replacement part(s) from the manufacturer.
	Do not use the seat if you find cracks, bends, or breaks in the plastic shell or metal frame, and/or worn or frayed harness straps and rusted buckles.
	Try the buckle. It should stay latched and unbuckle smoothly. If not, don't use the seat.

Tether Anchorage

Illustration provided by:
NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC
SAFETY ADMINISTRATION

A tether anchorage is a metal plate that is bolted into the vehicle to attach a top tether strap that comes with some child safety seats. A top tether strap provides an extra anchor point at the top of your convertible child safety seat when used in a forward-facing position. A tether anchorage improves protection by holding the top of a child safety seat more securely to limit forward head movement during a crash or sudden stop. It also helps to limit sideways movement of the child safety seat and will help absorb some shock.

Universal Child Safety Seat System

Illustration provided by:
NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC
SAFETY ADMINISTRATION

By September 1, 2002, all new vehicles and child safety seats will be equipped with a universal anchorage system. All new child safety seats will have three standard attachments, one on top and two at the base. All new cars and trucks will have standard anchors in the back seats to link to the seat attachments. At least two rear-seating positions will have an upper (tether) anchorage to hold the child seat tightly.

In the vehicle, the new system consists of two lower anchorages and one upper anchorage that have either rigid or flexible attachments. New child safety seats will have a hook, buckle or other connector that snaps onto the lower anchorage in the vehicle. A tether strap from the top of the child safety seat will be attached to the upper anchorage.

ballet slippers

CHILDREN IN SEAT BELTS

Seat belts, whether used by an individual or used to secure your child's safety seat, can play a vital role in protecting your vehicle's occupants. Be sure you understand how to use your seat belt restraint system properly. Children must be tall enough to sit with their knees bent at the edge of the vehicle's seat without slouching. Check how the safety belts fit in a vehicle used to transport your child. The shoulder belt should rest snugly across the child's chest and shoulder (collar bone),

without touching the throat or face. The lap belt should fit low and tight across the child's upper thighs when sitting straight up against the vehicle seat back. If the seat belt does not fit properly, then your child needs a booster seat.

TYPES OF CHILD SAFETY SEATS
	Infant Convertible Forward-Facing Only Booster


NEVER PUT AN INFANT IN A REAR-FACING SEAT IN THE FRONT SEAT OF A VEHICLE THAT HAS A PASSENGER AIR BAG.


NEVER USE A BELT-POSITIONING BOOSTER WITH JUST THE LAP BELT.

FOR A BETTER FIT...
Locking Clip
	Certain types of lap/shoulder belts may require a special locking clip to properly secure the child safety seat. Refer to your child safety seat manufacturer's instructions and/or the vehicle owner's manual for a complete explanation of when and how to attach the locking clip.

Copyright 2003, NYS DMV, Office of Internet Services Permission is required to re-publish any content on this site.

Copyright 2003, NYS DMV, Office of Internet Services
Permission is required to re-publish any content on this site.