•  Summary 
  •  
  •  Actions 
  •  
  •  Committee Votes 
  •  
  •  Floor Votes 
  •  
  •  Memo 
  •  
  •  Text 
  •  
  •  LFIN 
  •  
  •  Chamber Video/Transcript 

A05667 Summary:

BILL NOA05667
 
SAME ASNo Same As
 
SPONSORLevenberg
 
COSPNSR
 
MLTSPNSR
 
Amd §1229-c, V & T L
 
Prohibits a person from operating a motor vehicle with children under the age of 8 in the front seat in most cases; makes limited exceptions.
Go to top

A05667 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          5667
 
                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                     March 20, 2023
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  LEVENBERG  --  read once and referred to the
          Committee on Transportation
 
        AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to  prohibiting
          children  under  the  age  of  eight from riding as a passenger in the
          front seat of a motor vehicle except under limited circumstances

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section 1. Subdivisions 2, 5, 6 and 7 of section 1229-c of the vehicle
     2  and  traffic  law, subdivision 2 as amended by chapter 18 of the laws of
     3  2005, paragraph (c) of subdivision 2 and subdivision  6  as  amended  by
     4  chapter  405 of the laws of 2009, subdivision 5 as amended by chapter 38
     5  of the laws of 2020, and subdivision 7 as added by chapter  365  of  the
     6  laws of 1984, are amended to read as follows:
     7    2.  No  person  shall  operate  a  motor vehicle unless all front seat
     8  passengers (a) under the age of sixteen are restrained by a safety belt;
     9  or (b) if they are under the age of four, by a specially  designed  seat
    10  which  is  either  permanently  affixed  or affixed to such vehicle by a
    11  safety belt as required by subdivision one of this section,  or  in  the
    12  event  that  the  weight of such passenger under the age of four exceeds
    13  forty pounds, such passenger may be restrained  (i)  in  an  appropriate
    14  child  restraint  system  as defined in subdivision four of this section
    15  used with combination lap safety and shoulder harness belts or (ii) by a
    16  lap safety belt in the event such vehicle is not equipped with  combina-
    17  tion  lap  safety  and shoulder harness belts or all the combination lap
    18  safety and shoulder harness belts are being used  to  properly  restrain
    19  other  passengers  who  are under the age of sixteen; or (c) if they are
    20  age four or older but under age eight, (i) are restrained in  an  appro-
    21  priate  child  restraint  system  as defined in subdivision four of this
    22  section used with combination lap safety and shoulder harness  belts  or
    23  (ii)  are  restrained  in a lap safety belt in the event such vehicle is
    24  not equipped with combination lap safety and shoulder harness  belts  or
    25  all the combination lap safety and shoulder harness belts are being used
    26  to  properly restrain other passengers who are under the age of sixteen.
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD08863-01-3

        A. 5667                             2
 
     1  Nothing contained in this subdivision shall be deemed to  supersede  the
     2  requirements of subdivision two-a of this section.
     3    5.  Any  person  who  violates  the  provisions  of subdivision three,
     4  three-c or ten-a of this section shall be punished by a civil fine of up
     5  to fifty dollars. Any person who violates the provisions of  subdivision
     6  one, two, two-a, eleven or thirteen of this section shall be punished by
     7  a  civil  fine  of  not  less than twenty-five nor more than one hundred
     8  dollars. In any prosecution or proceeding alleging a violation of  para-
     9  graph (b) of subdivision one or paragraph (c) of subdivision two of this
    10  section,  it  shall be an affirmative defense that the passenger subject
    11  to the requirements of such paragraphs was restrained by a  safety  belt
    12  and  measures  more  than  four feet nine inches in height and/or weighs
    13  more than one hundred pounds. In any prosecution or proceeding  alleging
    14  a  violation of paragraph (b) or paragraph (c) of subdivision three-c of
    15  this section, it shall be an  affirmative  defense  that  such  taxi  or
    16  livery  was  in violation of subdivision four-b of section three hundred
    17  eighty-three of this chapter.
    18    6. The court shall waive any fine for which a person who violates  the
    19  provisions  of  this  section would be liable with respect to passengers
    20  under the age of eight if such person  supplies  the  court  with  proof
    21  that,  between the date on which he is charged with having violated this
    22  section and the appearance date for  such  violation,  he  purchased  or
    23  rented a child restraint system which meets the requirements of subdivi-
    24  sion  one  of  this section. Provided, however, that such waiver of fine
    25  shall not apply to a second or subsequent conviction under this section,
    26  nor a violation of subdivision two-a of this section.
    27    7. The provisions of this section shall not apply to  a  passenger  or
    28  operator with a physically disabling condition whose physical disability
    29  would  prevent appropriate restraint in such safety seat or safety belt,
    30  or to a passenger under the age of eight whose physical condition neces-
    31  sitates that such passenger be seated in the front seat for  medical  or
    32  safety reasons, provided, however, that such condition is duly certified
    33  by  a  physician who shall state the nature of the [handicap] disability
    34  or condition, as well as the reason  such  restraint  is  or  rear  seat
    35  placement is inappropriate.
    36    §  2.  Section  1229-c  of  the  vehicle and traffic law is amended by
    37  adding a new subdivision 2-a to read as follows:
    38    2-a. No person shall operate a motor vehicle with any passengers under
    39  the age of eight seated in the front seat of such  vehicle.    Provided,
    40  however,  that such prohibition shall not apply if: (a) such motor vehi-
    41  cle is not equipped with rear seats; or (b) the rear seat cannot  accom-
    42  modate  the proper installation of the child safety seat or booster seat
    43  in which such passenger is  being  transported,  as  determined  by  the
    44  commissioner,  or  vehicle manufacturer, or child safety seat or booster
    45  seat manufacturer; or (c) all other seat positions are occupied by other
    46  occupants who are under the age of eight; or (d)  such  passenger  under
    47  the  age  of  eight  is exempt pursuant to the provisions of subdivision
    48  seven of this section.
    49    § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of January next  succeed-
    50  ing  the  date  on  which  it shall have become a law; provided that any
    51  person who violates the provisions of subdivision 2-a of section  1229-c
    52  of  the  vehicle  and  traffic  law, as added by section two of this act
    53  within the twelve months following such effective date, shall be subject
    54  to a warning but shall not be issued an appearance ticket and shall  not
    55  be liable for a fine.
Go to top