Child passenger safety week
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It’s Child Passenger Safety Week

Michael

It’s Child Passenger Safety Week, and NYCHA’s Environmental Health and Safety Department would like to share the following guidelines for properly using car seats, booster seats, and seat belts – to help keep your children safe in the car.

4 steps for kids

Step 1 – Rear-facing car seat: Birth until ages 2-4

Infants and toddlers should be buckled in a rear-facing car seat with a harness, in the back seat, until they reach the maximum weight or height limit of their car seat. This offers the best possible protection. Never place a rear-facing car seat in the front seat. 

Step 2 – Forward-facing car seat: After outgrowing their rear-facing car seat and until at least age 5

When children outgrow their rear-facing car seat, they should be buckled in a forward-facing seat with a harness and a top tether (used to secure the car seat and limit forward head movement in a crash) in the back seat.

Step 3 – Booster seat: After outgrowing their forward-facing car seat and until the seat belt fits properly (usually between 9 and 12 years old)

When children outgrow their forward-facing car seat, they should be buckled in a belt-positioning booster seat with a seat belt, in the back seat.  A seat belt fits properly when the lap belt is across the upper thighs (not the stomach) and the shoulder belt is across the center of the shoulder and chest (and not the neck, face, or off the shoulder).

Step 4 – Seat belt: When a seat belt fits properly without a booster seat

Children no longer need to use a booster seat when the seat belt fits them properly. Seat belts can fit differently in each vehicle your child travels in, so check before you go (you might still need to use a booster seat depending on the vehicle).

Child car seat laws

Know New York’s Child Passenger Safety Laws:

  • All motor vehicle passengers 8 years and older must wear seat belts.
  • Children from 4 to 8 must ride in child-resistant systems: safety seats, harness vests, or booster seats with lap and shoulder belts.
  • Children under the age of 4 must ride in a car seat.
  • Children under the age of 2 must ride in a rear-facing car seat.

If you have questions about this or any environmental health and safety matter, please email ehs@nycha.nyc.gov. Residents, employees, and any member of the public can submit environmental health and safety concerns at on.nyc.gov/submit-concern.

For more information about child passenger safety, please visit: