Safe Kids New Jersey » Safe Kids Buckle Up

New Seat Belt and Crosswalk Laws in New Jersey

SafeKidsNJ — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:26:12 +0000

New Jersey’s seat belt law has been tightened, something safety advocates have long pushed for. Signed on January 18, 2010 and effective immediately, legislation now requires ALL occupants in passenger vehicles including vans, pickup trucks and SUV’s that are required to be equipped with seat belts to buckle up, regardless of their seating position in a vehicle. A secondary offense, the new law allows police to issue summonses to unbuckled back seat occupants, 18 years of age and older, when the vehicle they are riding in is stopped for another violation.

Crash data show that unbelted rear-seat passengers can become high-speed ‘bullets’ during a crash, impacting other passengers with enough force to kill or seriously injure them. Studies show that the use of safety belts by back seat passengers can reduce the chance of death and serious injury up to 75 percent.

In addition, our current pedestrian law has been changed. Drivers are now required to come to a full stop and remain stopped for pedestrians while in a crosswalk or controlled intersection. Previously, drivers were required to yield to pedestrians. Violators must pay a fine of $200.00 which will be imposed by the courts.

Chester Car Seat Inspection Station Celebrates First Anniversary

SafeKidsNJ — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 18:49:02 +0000

The Chester Car Seat Inspection Station celebrated its 1^st Anniversary on Thursday, January 21, 2010. The Child Passenger Inspection Station opened in January 2009 as an expansion to the Child Passenger Safety (CPS) Program of Northern NJ Safe Kids/Safe Communities. The station has become a visible force for CPS in Morris County. On average 15 car seats are inspected by our certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians.

The Car Seat Technicians celebrated the 1st Anniversary of Chester’s Car Seat Inspection Station on Jan. 21, 2010

Our partner, the Chester First Aid Squad has donated the use of its ambulance bays and a storage area for the program. Additional funding has been secured by the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety and Morristown Memorial Hospital as well as Safe Kids Buckle Up and individual donations.

Senior CPS Technician Jackie Leach coordinates the efforts of both career and volunteer CPS technicians. “The goal is to see that every child leaves safer than they arrived,” says Leach. The program has been well received by all.”

Pam Fisher, Director of NJ Division of Highway Traffic Safety, Jackie Leach, CPSTI and Laurie Cawley share a laugh at the 1 year anniversary of the Chester Car Seat Station.

Hours of operation are the 1^st Tuesday of the month 2pm – 6pm and the 3^rd Thursday of the month from 7am – 12pm. The Chester First Aid Squad is located at 100 North Road in Chester. For more information call 908- 879-5560.

Child Safety Seat Inspections Can Save Lives

SafeKidsNJ — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:00:23 +0000

It’s the responsibility of every single parent and caregiver to make sure their children are safely restrained – every trip, every time.

Safe Kids Buckle Up, the child passenger safety program of Safe Kids USA in partnership with General Motors and Chevrolet, holds child safety seat checkups and other vehicle safety events throughout the year; click here for more information about inspections around New Jersey.

Nationwide, the Safe Kids Buckle Up program has reached more than 17 million people and has inspected over one million car seats. According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration research, 8,325 lives of children under age 5 have been saved by the proper use of child restraints during the past 30 years. In 2006, among children under 5, an estimated 425 lives were saved by child restraint use.

Parents and caregivers should follow a few basic guidelines for determining which restraint system is best suited to protect their children in a vehicle:

1. For the best possible protection keep infants in a back seat, in rear-facing child safety seats, as long as possible—up to the height or weight limit of the particular seat. At a minimum, keep infants rear-facing until at least age 1 and at least 20 pounds.

2. When children outgrow their rear-facing seats, they should ride in forward-facing child safety seats, in a back seat, until they reach the upper weight or height limit of the particular seat (usually around age 4 and 40 to 80 pounds).

3. Once children outgrow their forward-facing seats, they should ride in booster seats, in a back seat, until the vehicle seat belts fit properly. Seat belts fit properly when the lap belt lays across the upper thighs and the shoulder belt rests on the shoulder or collar bone (usually when the child is between 8 and 12 years old, approximately 4’9” tall and 80 to 100 pounds).

4. After children fully outgrow their booster seats, they should use the adult seat belts in a back seat. The lap belt should lay across the upper thighs and the shoulder belt fits rests on the shoulder or collar bone.

Parents – Not Sure Which Car Seat to Use?
Are you looking for a new car seat for your infant, toddler or 4-8 year old child but overwhelmed by the choices and worried about how to properly install your car seat? The 4 Steps for Kids program will help you properly choose and install the correct car seat for your child.

Is your child safety seat properly installed?

Click here and here to find the child seat inspection station nearest you. Trained child seat inspectors will verify – free of charge – the installation of your child seat.

Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH)
LATCH consists of lower attachments on child seats and a set of tether anchors in the vehicle to hold the child seat in place without the use of the vehicle’s seat belts. Click here for additional information.