Traffic
Safety - Seatbelts, Airbags & Car Seats
Seat
Belts
Why
Buckle Up?
- Studies show seat
belts do save lives and reduce injuries during crashes.
- Seat belts work with
air bags to protect occupants. Air bags alone are not enough
to safeguard occupants.
- More than 2,000 unbuckled
drivers and front seat passengers died on New Jersey's roadways
in the past 10 years.
- Approximately 700
unbuckled drivers and front seat passengers were thrown out
of their vehicles during crashes and killed in the past 10
years.
New
Jersey's Seat Belt Law:
- Applies to all passenger
vehicles that are required to be equipped with seatbelts.
- Applies to drivers
and front seat passengers.
- Makes the driver
responsible for seat belt use by front seat passengers who
are under the age of 18.
New
Jersey's Child Passenger Law:
- The following law
regarding child passenger restraints goes into effect on December
1, 2001.
- All children under
the age of 8 who weigh less than 80 pounds must be secured
in the rear seat in an approved child passenger restraint system.
- If the vehicle has
no rear seat, the child must be secure in the front seat in
an approved child passenger restraint system.
- All passengers between
the age of 8 and 18 must wear a properly adjusted and fastened
safety seat belt system, regardless of where they are seated
in the vehicle.
Child
Passenger Safety Seats
Motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death of children over the
age of six months in the United States. The proper use of child car seats is
one of the simplest and most effective methods available for protecting the
lives of our young children in the event of a motor vehicle crash.
Please make sure that children are properly protected while traveling in a
motor vehicle. Only the correct use of child car seats will offer the protection
your child needs. So please be aware of the facts listed on this page regarding
the proper use of child car seats.
There are over 70 different
types of child car seats on the market today. Each one must meet
federal standards and all provide good protection for your child
when used correctly. The "right" seat for you is largely
a matter of personal choice. Choose a seat that fits your child
and your car, read the instructions carefully, and use the seat
correctly on every trip.
Correct use is easy
if you follow four steps:
- Read the manufacturer's
instructions for your car seat.
- Face the seat in
the proper direction
- Infant seats always face backwards. Baby rides in a semi-reclining position
facing the rear of the car.
- Convertible seats face backwards in a semi-reclining position for infants
under 20 pounds and under 1 year of age, and forward in an upright position
for toddlers.
- Secure your child
snugly in the car seat.
- Always buckle the seat's harness system securely to hold your child safely
in the seat. Allow no more than one finger-width of slack between your child's
collarbone and the harness strap.
- Secure the child
car seat with a seat belt.
- Anchoring the seat properly with a seat belt is critical. A seat that is
not buckled securely to the car can tip over, slide sideways or, in a crash,
be ejected from the car.
- Check your instruction manual to find out how to route the seat belt properly
and fasten it tightly.
