Laws about rear-facing to 30lbs??

Someone on another forum mentioned that PA now has a law that kids have to remain rear-facing until 30lbs. She also mentioned that "many states" have or will be changing to this. I cannot find anything about it through google. Is this true?

I'm in PA and I haven't heard anything about it. Would be nice, though!

As far as I know, PA has not changed their laws recently. They have a very ambiguous law, and basically just state that a child 7 and under must be in a child restraint.
source

I think there has been talk about the laws being changed to RF to 30 lbs in some states, but I don't believe that has happened anywhere yet???

I just found this on the PA DOT website, so I'm guessing the site I linked above is not up to date.

SEAT BELTS

* Requires children ages four through to their eighth birthday to be secured with a seat belt and a booster seat.

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source

One other quote:

WHAT IS THE LAW CONCERNING BOOSTER SEATS?

§ Children under 4 years of age are required to use a child restraint device. Nonuse is a primary offense. Children 4 to under 8 years of age are required to use a booster seat. It is a secondary offense. The fine is a sliding fine up to $100.00. The money will continue to go into a fund to purchase child safety seats for loaner programs that distribute child safety seats across Pennsylvania. Charges may be dismissed by the District Justice if proof of purchase or loan of a child passenger safety seat/booster seat is introduced into evidence.Source

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I'd be all for it, if they made some exceptions. My almost-4yo is only 27lbs right now and i just couldn't see making her rear face at her height! At least in the seats that are available on the market right now. Just for fun a few weeks ago I had her crawl into my sister's RF marathon and man, she was seriously pretzel-ed. She's over 40" tall.

Thanks!

CandCfam said:

As far as I know, PA has not changed their laws recently. They have a very ambiguous law, and basically just state that a child 7 and under must be in a child restraint.
source

I think there has been talk about the laws being changed to RF to 30 lbs in some states, but I don't believe that has happened anywhere yet???

Click to expand...

jadis68 said:

I'd be all for it, if they made some exceptions. My almost-4yo is only 27lbs right now and i just couldn't see making her rear face at her height! At least in the seats that are available on the market right now. Just for fun a few weeks ago I had her crawl into my sister's RF marathon and man, she was seriously pretzel-ed. She's over 40" tall.

Thanks!

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Even pretzel-ed, she'd be safer RF if she still fits within the limits of the seat. Legs being bent are not a safety hazard. :thumbsup:
Your DD is definitely a peanut, so if her head is not above the shell of the MA when RF, I would consider moving her back to RF.

I cannot see where this law would pass at the current time.

Instead of changing the laws, what I would like to see more are higher minimum requirements for turning a child forward facing in a specific convertable seat and higher minimum requirements for starting to use a combination seat. If a parent cannot find a seat that can be used forward facing, they would be forced to use the seat rear facing until the child was larger. I know in this situation, we would have many who just ignore the minimum requirements (just like they do right now with the 20 pound 1 year rule), but at least the seat says that the child cannot forward face in that seat. More parents would keep their kids rear facing if the seats told them to.

Yeah, if PA changed ANY CPS laws, I think I'd faint I'm not a fan of the ones they have (the 'booster' law really sounds like they HAVE to be in a booster once they hit 4

Children 4 to under 8 years of age are required to use a booster seat. It is a secondary offense. The fine is a sliding fine up to $100.00.

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and the only 'amendment' is that

A child over 4 but less than 8 years of age weighing less than 40 lbs. may, in lieu of use of a booster seat, be securely fastened in a child passenger restraint system (car seat) appropriate for their height and weight in accordance with the manufacturer recommendations.

A child between 4 and under 8 years of age who weighs more than 80 lbs. or who is 4 foot 9 inches or taller may be fastened in a vehicle seat belt system with out the use of a booster seat.

A child over 4 but less than 8 years of age, in a vehicle which was not originally equipped with a shoulder belt, shall be fastened in the seat belt with out the use of a booster seat or may be fastened in a child passenger restraint system (car seat) appropriate for their height an weight in accordance with the recommendations of the manufacturer.

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jadis68 said:

I'd be all for it, if they made some exceptions. My almost-4yo is only 27lbs right now and i just couldn't see making her rear face at her height! At least in the seats that are available on the market right now. Just for fun a few weeks ago I had her crawl into my sister's RF marathon and man, she was seriously pretzel-ed. She's over 40" tall.

Thanks!

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My siggy pic is my newly four year old(7/10) RFing in a MA. He just puts his feet up and never seems uncomfortable! And trust me, he would tell me. I have to adjust the A/C about 38 times just on a ride around the block!

I can assure you my state, with its uber-crappy laws (worse than PA's, sadly) is not at this time in any way, shape or form considering changing it's laws, or adding on anything about a RF requirement.

bobandjess99 said:

I can assure you my state, with its uber-crappy laws (worse than PA's, sadly) is not at this time in any way, shape or form considering changing it's laws, or adding on anything about a RF requirement.

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At least PA requires a booster until 8 years! I agree it could be written better, but I don't think the PA laws are that bad, unless I'm misunderstanding them.

Colorado only requires a booster until 6 years, I think. That's crappy. But lots of states only require a seat until 4...

-Sarah

sfeitler said:

At least PA requires a booster until 8 years! I agree it could be written better, but I don't think the PA laws are that bad, unless I'm misunderstanding them.

Colorado only requires a booster until 6 years, I think. That's crappy. But lots of states only require a seat until 4...

-Sarah

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Texas is pretty bad as they only require carseats up to 36 inches or 5 years (whichever comes first). My daughters were 36 inches when they were just 2 years old. It is very sad that a 2 or 3 year old can ride in a regular seatbelt by law here, but since the law allows it, people do it.

sfeitler said:

At least PA requires a booster until 8 years! I agree it could be written better, but I don't think the PA laws are that bad, unless I'm misunderstanding them.

Colorado only requires a booster until 6 years, I think. That's crappy. But lots of states only require a seat until 4...

-Sarah

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Actually, my state requires boosters until age 8 also, it's just the WAY they wrote the new laws (passed 2 years ago) which make them SUCK. Unlike the PA law that was quoted here, there is NO provision for being harnessed until age 4(or at all!). Our laws before this, prior to the passage of the booster law 2 years ago, was pretty much written like the PA law, which said a child must use a carseat until 4/40. but then, when they changed the law to make it "better" to include booster use until age 8, instead of ADDING the part about using a booster from 4-8, they TOOK OUT the harnessed until 4/40 part, and so now, all it says is something like "a child must be in an appropriate seat until 8 yrs"
this means that if you have a 30 pound 2 yr old, they can legally be in a booster, if the booster is approved for 30+ pounds.
honestly, I think our new law has ENDANGERED so many more children than it can potentially save. Sure, perhaps some 4-8 yr olds are going to be saved by being in a booster, but I KNOW there are a LOT of 2-4 yr olds out there that, under the old law, would have been in a HARNESSED seat, that are now *legally* riding around in boosters, that are in WAY more danger. I HATE the way the idiots rewrote our law to make it be so awful.
:thumbsdown: