New York State Law: Safety restraint Use Requirements

All front seat occupants must be properly secured, regardless of age;

All rear seat passengers under 16 must be properly secured;

Children under the age of 4 must be properly restrained in a federally approved child safety seat that is attached to a vehicle by a seat belt or universal child restraint anchorage (LATCH) system.

Children less than age 4 but weighing more than 40 pounds may be restrained in a booster seat with a combination lap/shoulder seat belt.

Children ages 4, 5 and 6 must be properly secured in an appropriate child restraint system, one for which the child meets the height and weight recommendations of the child restraint manufacturer. Children more than 57 inches tall, OR weighing more than 100 pounds, are exempt from this requirement, and may be secured in a seat belt.

Children riding in booster seats must be secured with a combination lap/shoulder seat belt, unless one of the two following conditions exists: the vehicle is not equipped with lap/shoulder seat belts, or all lap/shoulder seat belts are already being used to restrain other passengers under the age of 16. If either of these conditions exists, the child should be secured in a lap belt without the booster seat. In other words, never secure a child in a booster seat with only a lap belt.