Norwood Police Department

Kids in Cars

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  SAFETY OFFICER RICHARD GIACOPPO OF THE NORWOOD POLICE DEPARTMENT SAYS:

"Over ninety percent of all children's car seats are improperly installed.  This could lead to severe injury or death of a child involved in an auto accident."

• ALWAYS check that the seat is securely installed.  A locking clip may be necessary.

• DO NOT use a car seat that is more than six years old, or install one that is missing the manufacturer's label.

• DO NOT use a car seat that has been involved in an auto crash.

• NEVER buy a used car seat.

• NEVER use an infant carrier or household booster as a car seat.

• DO set a good example and make sure the entire family buckles up.

Read about Norwood Police Department's participation in the "CLICK IT or TICKET" Program.  Click here.

Consider these disturbing facts:

As the findings of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration studies report: The use of child car seats and seat belts make a difference.

• Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages 5-14.

• In 1998, motor vehicle crashes took the lives of 2,000 child occupants ages 0-15 years, and injured nearly 320,000 more.

• Every day, an average of 7 children ages 14 and under were killed and another 866 were injured in motor vehicle crashes in 1998.

• In 1998, nearly 6 out of every 10 children killed in motor vehicle crashes were unbelted. Tragically, nearly half of these children would have survived had they been properly restrained.

• When a driver is buckled, children are buckled 87% of the time. When the driver is unbuckled, children are restrained only 24% of the time.

• Child safety seat, when properly installed, reduce the risk of death by 71% for infants and 54% for toddlers An estimated 299 lives were saved by child restraint use.

• Of the children under age 5 who died in motor vehicle crashes in 1998, more than half were completely unrestrained, 34 % were not in age and size appropriate safety seats, but rather were buckled in an adult seat belt.

Massachusetts Child Passenger Safety Law

Massachusetts law requires that all children be properly restrained in a federally approved child passenger restraint until they are at least 5 years old AND they weigh over 40 pounds.  The following are types of child passenger restraints:

• infant seat for children from birth to 20 pounds and 1 year old,
• convertible seat for children from birth to 40 pounds,
• booster seat recommended for children who weigh 40-60 pounds,
• devices for children with special needs.

Complete Child Passenger Safety Law:

M.G.L. Chapter 90 Section 7AA Child Under 13 years unrestrained in motor vehicle.

It provides for "Primary" enforcement that means an officer does not need to witness another violation in order to make the car stop. Seeing an unrestrained child is enough to make the stop. The fine is $25. It is not a moving violation for the purposes of insurance penalties.

Section 7AA. No child under age five and no child weighing forty pounds or less shall ride as a passenger in a motor vehicle on any way unless such child is properly fastened and secured, according to the manufacturer's instructions, by a child passenger restraint as defined in section one.

No child who is five years of age or older, but not older than twelve years of age, shall ride as a passenger in a motor vehicle on any way unless such child is wearing a safety belt which is properly adjusted and fastened according to the manufacturer's instructions.

The provisions of this section shall not apply to any such child who is: (1) riding as a passenger in a school bus; (2) riding as a passenger in a motor vehicle made before July first, nineteen hundred and sixty-six, that is not equipped with safety belts; (3) physically unable to use either a conventional child passenger restraint or a child restraint specifically designed for children with special needs; provided, however, that such condition is duly certified in writing by a physician who shall state the nature of the disability as well as the reasons such restraints are inappropriate; provided, further, that no such certifying physician shall be subject to liability in a civil action for the issuance of or for the failure to issue such certificate. An operator of a motor vehicle who violates the provisions of this section shall be subject to a fine of not more than twenty-five dollars; provided, however, that said twenty-five dollar fine shall not apply to an operator of a motor vehicle licensed as a taxi cab not equipped with a child passenger restraint device.

A violation of this section shall not be used as evidence of contributory negligence in any civil action.

A person who receives a citation for a violation of any of the provisions of this section may contest such citation pursuant to section three of chapter ninety C. A violation of this section shall not be deemed to be a conviction of a moving violation of the motor vehicle laws for the purpose of determining surcharges on motor vehicle premiums pursuant to section one hundred and thirteen B of chapter one hundred and seventy-five.

Massachusetts Safety Belt Law

Massachusetts Law requires that all drivers and passengers or private motor vehicles must wear a safety belt which is properly fastened and adjusted when travelling on all Massachusetts roadways.

M.G.L. Chapter 90 Section 13A Person over 12 years not using seat belt. This section does not provide for "Primary" enforcement. It is a Secondary enforcement law, meaning the officer must have another violation or reason to stop the vehicle. The fine is $25. It is not a moving violation for the purposes of insurance penalties

Section 13A. No person shall operate a private passenger motor vehicle or ride in a private passenger motor vehicle, a vanpool vehicle or truck under eighteen thousand pounds on any way unless such person is wearing a safety belt which is properly adjusted and fastened; provided, however, that this provision shall not apply to:

(a) any child less than twelve years of age who is subject to the provisions of section seven AA;

(b) any person riding in a motor vehicle manufactured before July first, nineteen hundred and sixty-six;

(c) any person who is physically unable to use safety belts; provided, however, that such condition is duly certified by a physician who shall state the nature of the handicap, as well as the reasons such restraint is inappropriate; provided, further, that no such physician shall be subject to liability in any civil action for the issuance or for the failure to issue such certificate;

(d) any rural carrier of the United States Postal Service operating a motor vehicle while in the performance of his duties; provided, however, that such rural mail carrier shall be subject to department regulations regarding the use of safety belts or occupant crash protection devices;

(e) anyone involved in the operation of taxis, liveries, tractors, trucks with gross weight of eighteen thousand pounds or over, buses, and passengers of authorized emergency vehicles.

Any person who operates a motor vehicle without a safety belt, and any person sixteen years of age or over who rides as a passenger in a motor vehicle without wearing a safety belt in violation of this section, shall be subject to a fine of twenty-five dollars. Any operator of a motor vehicle shall be subject to an additional fine of twenty-five dollars for each person under the age of sixteen and no younger than twelve who is a passenger in said motor vehicle and not wearing a safety belt. The provisions of this section shall be enforced by law enforcement agencies only when an operator of a motor vehicle has been stopped for a violation of the motor vehicle laws or some other offense.

Any person who receives a citation for violating this section may contest such citation pursuant to section three of chapter ninety C. A violation of this section shall not be considered as a conviction of a moving violation of the motor vehicle laws for the purpose of determining surcharges on motor vehicle premiums pursuant to section one hundred and thirteen B of chapter one hundred and seventy-five.

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