Effective 11/24/2009, NY requires all motorists with passengers younger than 8 to restrain them by a booster seat or other child-restraint system. The new law raises the child restraint age limit by one year.

In 2005, the state began requiring booster seats or another child restraint system for children ages 4 through 6. There is a height and weight exception built into the law allowing children who are more than 4 feet 9 inches tall or who weigh more than 100 pounds to ride with just a seat belt. Statistics show that children between the ages of 4 and 8 are 59 percent more likely to have serious injury in a crash if they are not in the booster seat. The booster seats place a child into the position for which seat belts are designed. They raise the child up so the seat belt fits them where it is supposed to.

Last year more than 6300 children younger than 9 were injured in car accidents in New York.

Violators face a fine of up to $100, court surcharges and 3 points on their drivers licenses.