Age of child in front passenger seats

jackieeng

New member
I hope I have the right forum for this question...
I am constantly having this discussion with a couple of friends and they insist it is perfectly legal to have a child, of booster seat age, in the front passenger seat of my car. My argument is very much against this (we're talking 6/7yr olds) practice because I believe it is extremely unsafe...legal or not.
Can anyone tell me whether or not it is legal as well as articles that argues against this for safety reasons.
They are always asking me to drive their kids somewhere even though I say no time and time again. They say it is legal, but a safety issue. As far as they are concerned, if it's okay by law, then the safety factor is a none issues?? Shocking!

I do not have an airbag on/off switch for the front seats...

I live in NJ. Thanks so much for your help
Jackie
 
ADS

Lys

Senior Community Member
Here is NJ law. It states children 8yo and under must ride properly secured in a car seat or booster in the back seat of a vehicle. But, if no rear seat is available, they may sit in the front in a car seat or booster.
http://www.state.nj.us/lps/hts/childseats/childseats_newlaw.html

However, everyone is safer in the back seat. Even adults. Everyone is at a greater risk of injury in a crash by sitting in the front seat.
Our rule at home is you can't sit up front until you are 15yo. The legal age to learn to drive. I have made an exception to this rule only with my 3rd child who is 12yo and is taller and weighs more than me.
 

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician
One of our favorite sayings around here is that the laws of physics trump the laws of man.

Just because something is legal doesn't mean it's necessarily safe. Some states allow 4-year-olds to be in seatbelts alone. Others require kids to be 8. Does that mean that the kids are all equally safe just because they happen to meet the legal minimums? Of course not.

Laws are written to the lowest common denominator and to ruffle the least feathers possible. I don't believe that any state law is truly written in a way that sufficiently covers ideal child passenger safety, but it is what it is.

Keep holding your ground.
 

ConnorsMommy

New member
While each state's law varies, every car equipped with an airbag has a big warning label on the visor or other place in the car that says to never place a rear-facing infant seat on the front passenger seat and that children 12 and under can be killed by the airbag and should sit in the back seat. Personally, that's enough for me to decide no children under 12 will sit in the front seats in my car (unless I do not have another option) since I have an airbag. Obviously those warnings are there for a reason, based on research, and aren't just decoration. I don't know what the laws for my state say, but really, best practice is beyond any states law anyway.
 

zactayaus

Well-known member
Here is NJ law. It states children 8yo and under must ride properly secured in a car seat or booster in the back seat of a vehicle. But, if no rear seat is available, they may sit in the front in a car seat or booster.
http://www.state.nj.us/lps/hts/childseats/childseats_newlaw.html

However, everyone is safer in the back seat. Even adults. Everyone is at a greater risk of injury in a crash by sitting in the front seat.
Our rule at home is you can't sit up front until you are 15yo. The legal age to learn to drive. I have made an exception to this rule only with my 3rd child who is 12yo and is taller and weighs more than me.

I'm in NJ and actually the law is that kids under 8yo must ride in a booster or car seat. People in my town think it's the best thing ever when their kid turns 8 and they can ditch the booster and let their kid ride up front. DS2 plays on a U9 travel soccer team (so all kids are 8yo or younger or just turning 9) and only my ds and one other kid rides in a booster.:(
 

bobandjess99

Senior Community Member
It's not extermely safe, no. but in most states, it isn't illegal. HOWEVER, in your state, NJ, it actually IS illegal for a kid udner 8 to ride in front unless all the rear seats are already occupied.
 

jackieeng

New member
Thanks for your input. I went over the website for NJ and it was a little confusing at first, but figured out they don't care much about safety :(

Thank you :)
 

Kat_Momof3

New member
legal or not... have them look up at that passenger side visor... have them look in their vehicle manual... and see it clearly stated that children under 12-13 are safer in the back seat... period.

that all children under 12 or 13 should ride in the back seat.

Also, they should then look in their booster seat manual, which will tell them that they have to use it in the rear seat whenever possible.
 

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