Infant car seats laws in NY are changing. Here's how

ALBANY - Children in New York will eventually have to ride in rear-facing car seats until they are age 2.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a law Monday that requires all children younger than 2 years old to be seated in rear-facing car seats as a safety measure.

The law takes effect Nov. 1, 2019. The law says the effective date was made two years out so parents and drivers will have plenty of time to learn about the change and make purchasing decisions accordingly.

Previously, there was no age requirement to use rear-facing car seats in New York.

“A rear-facing car seat law will help prevent injuries," John Corlett, legislative chairman for AAA of New York, said in a statement.

"Young children are safer in rear-facing car seats, and prior child passenger safety laws have reduced injuries among targeted populations. In New York, a one-year-old child is injured in a traffic crash once a day, on average.”

The only exception to the new law is for children who exceed height and weight requirements of the car seat. They will be allowed to use a forward facing car seat.

Similar laws are in place in California, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania.

The legislation states that traffic accidents are one of the leading causes of death for children, and it cites statistics that point out how rear-facing seats can prevent injuries and death.

Children younger than 2 were 75 percent more likely to sustain an injury while in a front-facing car seat than when they were in a rear-facing car seat, according to a 2007 University of Virginia study.

The idea behind using a rear-facing car seat is that it provides better support for a child’s head and neck.

According to the America Academy of Pediatrics, rear-facing car seats help to more evenly distribute crash forces over the entire body by supporting a younger child’s head, minimizing the impact of the crash on the child.

Assemblywoman Sandy Galef, D-Ossining, Westchester County, and Sen. Joseph Robach, R-Greece, sponsored the legislation and praised Cuomo's approval.

"By ensuring that children under the age of two are restrained in a rear facing car seat, we can limit the effects a car accident may have on their head and neck and increasing their safety as a whole," Robach said in a statement.

NVaughn@Gannett.com

Natasha Vaughn is a staff writer for USA TODAY Network's Albany Bureau.