New Seat Laws in New Jersey

On May 7, 2015, Governor Chris Christie signed a bill into law that amended New Jersey’s child restraint law.
Bill A-3161 was passed on March 16, 2015 by both the Houses, which created new requirements concerning safety seats for children less than eight years of age. Senator Jim Beach (D-Cherry Hill), a leading sponsor of the legislation, discussed that New Jersey’s seatbelt laws have not be revised in over 30 years and it was imperative to create new legislation to ensure safety for children.

The revised law adds specific age and weight limits to the existing law, which have been endorsed by The American Academy of Pediatrics and the New Jersey Division of Highway Safety. The following are the revisions to the existing car seat and booster seat law.

Children Under Two Years Old: A child under the age of two and weighing less than 30 pounds is required to be in a rear-facing car seat with a five-point harness. The car seat can be turned around if the child reaches 30 pounds or two years of age.

Children Ages Two-Four: A child must remain in the backseat either rear-facing or forward- facing based on their height and weight in a five-point harness until they are four years old or 40 pounds. A three year old child cannot legally ride in a booster seat unless the child weighs more than 40 pounds.

Children Ages Four-Eight: A child must remain in the backseat secured in a five- point harness or booster seat until they are eight years old or 57 inches tall. Once the child reaches eight years old or 57 inches, they can use adult seat belts.

If a vehicle has no back seat a child can be secured in the front seat in a booster or car seat. The new law states that if a child or infant is in a rear-facing car seat in the front seat, the passenger-side airbags must be disabled. Studies have shown that the strength of a deployed air bag could injure small children. The revised legislation also increased fines from $10-$25 to $50-$75; however, the law does not specifically state how a police officer would validate if a child is meeting the new requirements when giving a citation for disobeying the law.