News NEW Michigan CPS law in effect today!

Mommy0608

New member
As of today, all children under age 4 MUST be restrained in the back seat of the vehicle. Also, the nursing mothers exemption was removed. The following is copied from an email I received today:

Changes to car seat law designed to keep kids safer
Starting today, children under four must ride in back seat


Governor Jennifer M. Granholm signed Public Act 57 of 2009 today, making two changes to Michigan’s child passenger safety law. The new requirements, effective immediately, include a rear seating requirement and removal of the nursing mother exemption.

Under the newly revised law, children younger than four must ride in a car seat in the rear seat of the vehicle if the vehicle has a back seat. If all available rear seats are occupied by children under four, then a child under four may ride in the front seat if properly restrained in a car seat. If the child is in a rear-facing car seat, they may be placed in the front seat only if the front passenger air bag is turned off and all rear seats are occupied by children under four.

The legislation also now prohibits removing a child from a car seat to nurse while the vehicle is in motion. Nursing mothers should drive the vehicle to a safe place and stop to feed the baby. With this change Michigan is now eligible for additional federal traffic safety funds.

Car seat legislation was expanded last year to require children to ride in a car seat or booster seat until they reach 8 years old or 4’9” whichever comes first.

The rear seating requirement follows research that has long found that the safest place for children is in the back seat. Children are 40 percent more likely to be injured when in the front seat compared to children seated in the rear. Properly restrained children in the rear seat have the lowest risk of injury according to the Partners for Child Passenger Safety.

Fifteen other states have similar legislation which requires children to be placed in the back seat of a vehicle.

Children who are passengers in a bus, school bus, taxi, moped or motorcycle are exempt as well as those with a medical exemption granted by the Secretary of State.

The safest place for all children 12 and under is in the back seat, and children up to age 16 must be restrained in all seating positions. Michigan law requires all drivers and front seat passengers to buckle up.

For more information about changes to Michigan’s child passenger safety law visit www.michigan.gov/ohsp or www.michigansafekids.org .

(I probably should have put this in the news and articles section. Feel free to move it if necessary).
 
ADS

APmama2MAK

New member
Hm I think this is good I guess...I do wonder how this applies to the true fit that doesnt allow installation in small truck back seats and to others that cannot fit a car seat in the back seat of other trucks ... overall though this is good though
 

BW1426

Well-known member
Hm I think this is good I guess...I do wonder how this applies to the true fit that doesnt allow installation in small truck back seats and to others that cannot fit a car seat in the back seat of other trucks ... overall though this is good though

If you are knowledgeable and can articulately explain why it's not working in the back seat I think that you'd be just fine. I honestly don't see this law having a huge effect. I am VERY excited though because we know are able to get additional funding. I have yet to talk to an average person that even realized it was legal to remove your child from their carseat to nurse. Everyone I've talked to assumed it was illegal and many of them admitted to doing it at one time or another.
 

myliljunebugs

New member
I wish Arkansas would step up to the plate and get decent laws. I see so many tinies in nothing because the law backs them up. :(
 

elle7715

Member
I don't know how much this will help, but I'm glad to see it on paper at least. :thumbsup:
It drives me nuts when kids who should still legally be in carseats (and logically should still be harnessed) are riding in the front seat when the backseat is completely empty.
 

BookMama

Senior Community Member
I told 8YO DS about this today (he was in the room when I read about it) and he just laughed and said "Yeah, but we'd never do any of those things anyway, so it doesn't matter to our family!" :p

I am pleased to see these new laws. I do wish that the back seat law covered kids up to age 8, but I wonder if that would have been harder to get passed because (as far as I can tell) the 0-4 and 4-8 YO CPS laws are separate. :confused:
 

TheNimpsGirl

New member
:thumbsup:

I'm glad to see the nursing clause removed. I wonder why I didn't hear anything on the local news though... they really need to mention it too because I know first hand people who have admitted to nursing while driving (I wish I was that talented in a so not safe kinda way because I can barely watch tv and nurse DS, he gets really really upset if I try and do anything else or talk).
 
U

Unregistered1

Guest
How would this affect our practice of putting the oldest harnessed child in front when necessary? Is that still legal or would it perhaps fall under 'if you are knowledgeable you could make them understand'?

In any case, for the vast majority of kids this is VERY good news and I am thrilled about your funding!
 

Mommy0608

New member
:thumbsup:

I'm glad to see the nursing clause removed. I wonder why I didn't hear anything on the local news though... they really need to mention it too because I know first hand people who have admitted to nursing while driving (I wish I was that talented in a so not safe kinda way because I can barely watch tv and nurse DS, he gets really really upset if I try and do anything else or talk).

I wish it would have been more highly publicized too... most people I've talked about this had no idea.

How would this affect our practice of putting the oldest harnessed child in front when necessary? Is that still legal or would it perhaps fall under 'if you are knowledgeable you could make them understand'?

In any case, for the vast majority of kids this is VERY good news and I am thrilled about your funding!

Good question!! I don't know about that, but I would hope that an explanation would suffice, but then again, it'll depend on the officer's knowledge of CPS as well.
 

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