Prohibits a person from operating a motor vehicle with children under the age of 8 in the front seat in most cases

10 Co-sponsors

• David Gantt
• Herman D. Farrell
• Michael Cusick
• Louis Tobacco
• John McEneny
• Keith L.T. Wright
• Ginny Fields
• Ellen C. Jaffee
• Gary Finch
• Mike Spano

30 Multi-sponsors

• Thomas Alfano
• Robert Barra
• William Boyland
• James F. Brennan
• Alec Brook-Krasny
• Barbara Clark
• Vivian Cook
• RoAnn Destito
• Jeffrey Dinowitz
• Joseph Errigo
• Deborah Glick
• Richard Gottfried
• Carl Heastie
• Earlene Hooper
• Sam Hoyt
• Rhoda Jacobs
• Susan John
• Alan Maisel
• Nettie Mayersohn
• David McDonough
• Thomas McKevitt
• Joel Miller
• Joan Millman
• Joseph Morelle
• Felix Ortiz
• Amy Paulin
• Audrey Pheffer
• Peter Rivera
• Joseph Saladino
• William Scarborough

BILL NUMBER:A4181A

Title of bill

An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to prohibiting children under the age of eight from riding as a passen- ger in the front seat of a motor vehicle except under limited circum- stances

Purpose or general idea of bill

To require children under the age of eight to ride in the rear seat of vehicles in most cases.

Summary of specific provisions

Section 1229-c of the vehicle and traf- fic law is amended to prohibit any person from operating a motor vehicle with a passenger under the age of eight in the front seat.

A child under the age of eight may ride in the front seat if:

1. there are no rear seats;

2. a child safety seat or booster seat cannot be properly installed in the rear seat;

3. all rear seats are already occupied by other occupants;

4. medical reasons necessitate the child should not ride in the rear seat.

Justification

Preventable injuries are the number one killer of chil- dren (ages 14 and under) across the country. According to the Air Bag Safety Campaign, in the United State an average of 8 children are killed and 932 injured everyday in motor vehicle related crashes.

Experts agree children are safest when buckled up and in the back seat. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that chil- dren are up to 20% safer when riding in the rear seat regardless of whether the vehicle is equipped with a passenger side air bag. Placing children in the back seat provides greater protection for head on colli- sions, the most serious type of crash, by getting children farther away from the point of impact.

New York State now requires all children up to age 16 to be buckled in both front and rear seats. In addition, children under age 8 must be properly restrained in a car seat or booster seat. We can further improve our child passenger safety standards by requiring young children to sit in the rear seat. This bill allows flexibility for large families and/or parents who may be transporting other children.

Since 1998, all vehicles have been equipped with dual air bags. Unless properly positioned in the back seat, children will continue to be killed and critically injured unnecessarily.

Prior legislative history

A.4181 2009 A.7470 2007/2008 A.6917 2005/2006 A.4648 2003/2004 A.4106 2001/2002 A.6765 1999/2000 A. 756 1997/1998

Fiscal implications for state and local governments

None.

Effective date

The first of January following enactment provided that a person violating these provisions within 12 months after the effective date shall only be issued a warning.