AAA is pushing to change an outdated car seat law in New York. This after a new AAA study suggest that young children are being put at risk of injury, if their car seats are facing forward in the car.
State Senator Joseph Robach and Assemblymember Sandy Galef have recently introduced legislation that would require rear-seat passengers under two years old to be restrained in a rear-facing car seat until they exceed the weight or height limit of the seat as set by the manufacturer. AAA is throwing its support behind this proposal.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children ride in a rear-facing car seat until they are two years old. One-year-olds are five times more likely to be seriously injured in a crash if they ride in a forward-facing seat than if they ride in a rear-facing seat.
Experts believe if the child is facing forward during a car crash, the jerking move on impact could cause neck injuries or worse.
"A lot of time it is neck injury where the child's neck is not strong enough and they are being thrown forward in the event of a crash," Public Relations Director of AAA of Western & Central New York, Elizabeth Carey said.
Currently the State of New York only requires young children to be restrained in car seats until age four. It doesn't require the car seat to be turned a certain way.
