If you are loading up the kids and heading to grandma’s house in New York State for the holidays, then you might want to do some quick measuring first. Not to see if your minivan can accommodate all the extra gifts you are hauling. Rather, state troopers want you to use your measuring tape on your kids.
The New York State DMV recently expanded its child restraint law to include all children under the age of eight. Meaning, kids less than eight years old must be restrained in a child carseat or booster seat while riding on state roads. The old law stated that kids seven years and younger had to be restrained, but lawmakers decided to modify the statute for safety reasons.
According to recent studies conducted by researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Center for Injury Research and Prevention, there’s a 45 percent reduction of injury for kids riding in booster seats in an accident than for kids wearing just a seatbelt.
If you are upset about the new law, there is one way you can get around purchasing a booster for your eight-year-old–use a measuring tape. If your kid is taller than four feet nine inches or weighs more than 100 pounds, he doesn’t need to be restrained in a booster seat. However, he is required to use a seat belt that has a lap belt and shoulder harness.
You’re also going to need the child safety seat when you travel to Chicago this Christmas. The state of Illinois is once again reminding parents that taxis are vehicles too, and holding a child on their lap is against the law. Bottom line: You must buckle up your children in Windy City taxis.
According to city officials, parents looking to hail a cab for the entire family must have carseats (or booster seats) to secure each child (provided he or she is under 80 pounds and under 4’9″ tall). For infants, officials suggest parents use travel systems, where infant seats can be removed from the base of a stroller and strapped to the backseat of a cab and the stroller portion stored in the taxi’s trunk.
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