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Legal to have four kids in the backseat of a minivan if there are only three seats?

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  • ghurty
    Forum Member
    • Nov 2005
    • 64

    Legal to have four kids in the backseat of a minivan if there are only three seats?

    Is it legal to have four kids in the backseat of a minivan if there are only three seats/seat bets? Can two children share the same seat belt? I woul thin not, but someone said yes (this is in NJ if it makes a difference)

    Thank you
  • Aidokea
    Forum Member
    • Jul 2006
    • 3623

    #2
    How old are the children?

    Comment

    • ghurty
      Forum Member
      • Nov 2005
      • 64

      #3
      The ages are 6, 12, 13, and 14. Can mix around which will be buckled together

      Thank you

      Comment

      • not.in.MY.town
        Townie Soprano
        • Aug 2017
        • 1785

        #4
        Do you care about these children?

        Not only is it illegal, but it's also dangerous. Sharing seatbelts will cause additional injuries to both children in case of a collision. They each are required to wear a properly fastened seatbelt of their own. Additionally, the six year-old needs to be in a 5 point harness or booster seat unless he or she is over 57 inches tall.

        Comment

        • delzo70
          Forum Member
          • Mar 2005
          • 399

          #5
          You need to call someone at your local police department or the state police and ask. Here in Texas, everyone is required to be in a safety restraint (child safety seat or seat belt) UNLESS all seating positions are filled. You are not expected to leave someone behind just because there is not a restraint for them.

          Comment

          • reils49
            Forum Member
            • Sep 2006
            • 5104

            #6
            Doubling up kids in one seatbelt is unsafe. The seatbelt is not designed to work that way, and by the time you see how improperly restrained kids are just as bad as unrestrained kids, it’s too late.

            When I was in uniform, child restraints were my pet peeve. As an investigator, it’s still one of my pet peeves, maybe it’s even worse now.
            I make my living on Irish welfare.

            Comment

          • not.in.MY.town
            Townie Soprano
            • Aug 2017
            • 1785

            #7
            Originally posted by delzo70
            You need to call someone at your local police department or the state police and ask. Here in Texas, everyone is required to be in a safety restraint (child safety seat or seat belt) UNLESS all seating positions are filled. You are not expected to leave someone behind just because there is not a restraint for them.
            Not the case in New Jersey (where the OP and I are from). The driver is responsible for ensuring that all passengers under 18 are properly restraint. There's no exception that if there's not enough seat belts for all children then it's okay to let'em break their necks or fly through the windshield. If you need to transport more children than you have proper restraint systems then you'll be expected to either make two trips or use multiple vehicles. I may not necessarily ticket you (twice - once for each child that's double-buckled)...but under no circumstances will I allow you to continue your journey with an unrestraint child in the vehicle. Period.


            39:3-76.2f Seat belt usage requirements; driver's responsibility.

            2. a. Except as provided in P.L.1983, c.128 (C.39:3-76.2a et al.) for children under eight years of age and less than 57 inches in height, all passengers under eight years of age and at least 57 inches in height, and all passengers who are at least eight years of age but less than 18 years of age, and each driver and front seat passenger of a passenger automobile operated on a street or highway in this State shall wear a properly adjusted and fastened safety seat belt system as defined by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Number 209.

            b.The driver of a passenger automobile shall secure or cause to be secured in a properly adjusted and fastened safety seat belt system, as defined by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Number 209, any passenger who is at least eight years of age but less than 18 years of age.

            c.All rear seat passengers 18 years of age or older of a passenger automobile operated on a street or highway in this State shall wear a properly adjusted and fastened safety seat belt system as defined by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Number 209.

            For the purposes of the "Passenger Automobile Seat Belt Usage Act," the term "passenger automobile" shall include vans, pick-up trucks, and utility vehicles.
            -------

            Additional rules that would apply to the six-year-old:

            39:3-76.2a Child passenger restraint systems.

            [...]
            c.A child under the age of eight years and less than 57 inches in height shall be secured:

            (1) in a forward facing child passenger restraint system which is equipped with a five-point harness, until the child outgrows the top height or top weight recommendations made by the manufacturer of the child passenger restraint system, at which point the child shall be secured in a rear seat, in a booster seat; or

            (2) in a booster seat.




            Comment

            • not.in.MY.town
              Townie Soprano
              • Aug 2017
              • 1785

              #8
              To the OP: Who else will be riding in the minivan? Your better bet would be to have the 14-year-old ride in the front passenger seat and have an unrestraint (NOT double-buckled!) adult sit in the backseat with the other children. Your primary responsibility is to keep all the children safe. The adults can decide for themselves if they want to take the risk....

              Comment

              • LSUTiger9314
                Forum Member
                • Jan 2012
                • 225

                #9
                Is this a serious question??? I'm on the job in NJ. EVERY PASSENGER NEEDS A SEATBET! As someone else said, why isn't your 14 year old sitting up front?

                NYPD Exam 2302 (July, 2011) - 9x.xxx
                List number (December, 2011) - 2xx
                APD -???

                Comment

                • merlin436
                  Forum Member
                  • Mar 2005
                  • 3232

                  #10
                  mp2_0674-edit_1.png

                  Buy one of these for the 6 year old. Place the cage in the cargo hold, lock the kid inside the cage and tell the kid to growl and bark like a dog.




                  Your problem is solved.

                  Comment

                  • Aidokea
                    Forum Member
                    • Jul 2006
                    • 3623

                    #11
                    It is the driver's responsibility to make sure that all of the juvenile passengers are properly restrained. That means that the 6 year old needs to be properly restrained using a booster seat or a child safety seat, and the other three need to be properly restrained using three seatbelts.

                    What mini-van only has three seatbelts for passengers? If you have more passengers than you have seatbelts, then you're using the wrong vehicle.

                    And keep in mind that traffic laws are not the only laws that apply here- every state I've ever lived in, has criminal laws on the books regarding a person's responsibility not to do dangerous things with the children that are in their care. For example, if I stop a car with four seatbelts and it has 11 people in it, including five unrestrained toddlers behind the seats in the cargo area, the driver is going straight to jail.

                    Comment

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