On November 24^th, 2009, the upper age limit of New York State’s child restraint law will be raised.  All children must be restrained in an appropriate child restraint system while riding in a motor vehicle, until they reach their 8th birthday.  Currently, this law applies to children aged 4 to 6.

Safety belts are not designed for children.  Did you know seat belts are designed for people who are at least 4’9” (145cm) tall and most children don’t reach this height until they are between 8 and 12 years old?

The booster seat’s function is to raise your child up so the safety belt fits your child correctly and provides better protection in the event of an accident.  “Seat belt syndrome” is how doctors describe injuries to the spine and internal organs that can happen to children who are too small for the seat belt without a booster.

For further details of this law change, visit www.SafeNY.com.  For the rest of North America, you can refer to our state by state and province by province guide to the latest legislation.