TN law changes

Doesn't look like they did TOO much, but I know there was some question about the interpretation of the former RF law, making it sound like you MUST turn a 20+lb 1 year old FF. This clarifies that you may keep a child rear-facing to the limits of the seat.

I also see a booster law to at least age 8, so that's an improvement.

http://www.tn.gov/safety/newCRD.shtml

ETA: Wait, this says 2004...maybe that's the old law, or maybe this just got shared on FB as new and it's not. Oh well.

I am guessing just shared as new, since this is what I've been looking at for a few years now.

But speaking of wording and legal talk, and understanding it, from a *law* standpoint (not a best practice standpoint) this does say that whenever a child reaches either 4'9" or 9 years old s/he can leave a booster and go into just a seatbelt? I know best practice, safest practice, the child should 5 step (which is why my almost 11 year old uses a booster, he isn't close to 5 stepping in most vehicles), but legally...

If the law is through the 8th year (to the 9th birthday,) it is actually one of the strongest laws in the US. Most states only go to the 8th birthday, and many allow kids to be out of boosters sooner than that.

See, that's why I thought it was new. I really thought we had talked about TN being one of the weaker states for CPS. I thought maybe the bolded was new or something.

That has been the law for quite a while now. There was a somewhat recent addition (I think it is recent) saying that if your seat rear faces to a higher weight you don't have to turn them at 1yo. There is some issue interpreting the "must be in a booster 4-8yo". One of my friends was told her child must be in a booster at 5yo and not a harness and I've had conversations with other people saying that the law does say pretty clearly that a 4yo must be in a booster.

And yes, in TN a child must be in a booster through 8yo so until their 9th birthday.

i'm in tennessee and have been for many years.

the booster law is 9 years old AND 4 ft 9 inches tall (not OR, but AND). it's been thru 8 years old for a very long time now, many years.

the rearfacing thing was confusing as well as the booster from "4-8" when i took the tech class 2 years ago. but many officers understand it here in chattanooga to be a *minimum* and seats are to be used properly, per their manual, too.

Here's some interpretation, as the law is written in a very confusing, **s backwards way: https://www.etsu.edu/childpassengersafety/

many parents here are confused and have been for years, esp about when their child can go without a booster. )-;

henrietta said:

i'm in tennessee and have been for many years. the booster law is 9 years old AND 4 ft 9 inches tall (not OR, but AND). it's been thru 8 years old for a very long time now, many years.

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They have a specific note in the 4-8 that dismisses the 4'9" after 8 years old. It sounds to me like 9 and older but under 4'9" don't need a booster, just the seatbelt. So it sounds like AND until they reach 9, then seatbelt is legal? Note is quoted below from link in original post.

(Note: If the child is not between age four (4) and age eight (8), but is less than four feet nine inches (4'9") in height, he/she must still use a seat belt system meeting federal motor vehicle safety standards.)

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TechnoGranola said:

They have a specific note in the 4-8 that dismisses the 4'9" after 8 years old. It sounds to me like 9 and older but under 4'9" don't need a booster, just the seatbelt. So it sounds like AND until they reach 9, then seatbelt is legal? Note is quoted below from link in original post.

Click to expand...

"Children age nine (9) through age twelve (12), or any child through twelve (12) years of age, measuring four feet nine inches (4'9") or more in height, must be secured in a seat belt system. It is recommended that any such child be placed in the rear seat, if available. (Note: If the child is not between age nine (9) and age twelve (12), but is four feet nine inches (4'9") or more in height, he/she must still use a seat belt system meeting federal motor vehicle safety standards.)"

To my knowledge, it's just poor wording. It means that a 15 or 16 year old who isn't 4'9" tall must wear a seat belt, but does not have to be in a booster seat, and that older kids (teens) must be in a seat belt. All children are required to be properly restrained, which includes teens. The local CPST groups here always tell parents to keep kids in boosters till they are both at least 9 years old and 4' 9" tall, and our printed cards reflect that (statewide hand out). It is worded so terribly though that it could be interpreted to mean that a 7 year old could go without a booster seat, period...but that's not the intent. If pulled over in TN, a parent with a 4, 5, 6, 7 (etc) not appropriately restrained can be fined $50. They can even be pulled over just to find out if the kids are restrained. Obviously, if you have a 7 year old who's 4 ft 9 inches tall, it might be tough to find a booster seat & seating location that works in some cars, so maybe that's the intent of the crappy wording, to excuse those super rare cases...

Note that our law states: "or according to the child safety restraint system or vehicle manufacturer's instructions.". This is what makes it "legal" in Tennessee for my 5.5 year old to be harnessed (or 8 yr olds even), 10 year olds to be boostered, and 3 year olds to rear face. As long as the seat is being used per instructions, it's fine.

Editing b/c I misunderstood part of your question...new baby brain...sorry. YES, in Tennessee, if a child is
*at least* 9 years old AND 4'9" tall, they may legally ride without a booster, but must use a seat belt. It's not perfect, but it's a heck of a lot better than Florida, Texas, or Pennsylvania, last I checked.

Ellie173 said:

That has been the law for quite a while now. There was a somewhat recent addition (I think it is recent) saying that if your seat rear faces to a higher weight you don't have to turn them at 1yo. There is some issue interpreting the "must be in a booster 4-8yo". One of my friends was told her child must be in a booster at 5yo and not a harness and I've had conversations with other people saying that the law does say pretty clearly that a 4yo must be in a booster.

And yes, in TN a child must be in a booster through 8yo so until their 9th birthday.

Click to expand...

It hasn't been rewritten recently that I know of or remember...maybe I forgot...but we had this same discussion once or twice in the past 2-3 years. It was amended in 2005, so that could be it. If people read the whole text, it allows for following the instructions of the seat (Note that our law states: "or according to the child safety restraint system or vehicle manufacturer's instructions.") So, if a child is 6 years old and in a harnessed seat, it's fine, provided the manual is correctly followed (child fits properly & seat is used correctly). The more we've managed to spread the word about rear facing past the minimums in my state, the more questions and here-say we've had about the way the law is written. It's a good thing that people are actually reading it though!