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New Child Passenger Safety Laws

Beginning September 1, New Jersey will begin enforcing a new set of car restraint laws. The most significant change to the law includes having all children under the age of 2 and 30 pounds secured in rear-facing car seats. The law also more specifically lays out the progression of moving from a car seat to a booster to a seatbelt.

The legislation includes these stages of carseat usage:

a.
A child under the age of 2 years and weighing less than 30 pounds shall be secured in a rear-facing seat equipped with a 5-point harness.
b.
A child under the age of 4 years and weighing less than 40 pounds shall be secured as described in (a) until they reach the upper limits of the rear-facing seat, then in a forward-facing child restraint equipped with a 5-point harness.
c.
A child under the age of 8 and a height of 57 inches shall be secured as described in (a) or (b) until they reach the upper limits of the rear-facing or forward-facing seat, then in a belt positioning booster seat.
d.
A child over 8 years of age or 57 inches in height must be properly secured by a seat belt.
If there are no rear seats, the child shall be secured as described above in the front seat except that no child shall be secured in a rear-facing seat in the front seat of any vehicle that is equipped with an active passenger-side airbag. The aforementioned is acceptable if the airbag is de-activated.

PEACEFUL LEARNERS | PEACEFUL GROWTH
At Westmont, peaceful learning begins with trust, respect, and purpose. This belief guides our calm environment where children develop independence, focus, and confidence. The children’s joy and smiles reaffirm our steadfast commitment to an authentic Montessori education.