What is the legal age a child can be able to ride at the front seat of a car in NY?

Answer 1

Effective March 27, 2005: all back seat passengers who are age four or older but under age seven must be restrained in an appropriate child restraint system. A child older than four years of age and over four feet nine inches in height may be restrained by a safety belt. It is not illegal under NYS law for a child passenger to ride in the front seat of a vehicle that has a passenger air bag, but it is dangerous. Recent studies show that air bags can cause serious or fatal injuries to infants, children or small adults that sit in the passenger-side front seat. It is also normally safer for a child of any age to ride in the back seat of any vehicle. For the best child passenger protection in your vehicle: * Never put a child safety seat in the front seat of a vehicle and face it toward the rear of a vehicle if that vehicle has a passenger-side air bag. * Do not put small children in the front seat of vehicle that has an air bag. Put a child that does not use a safety seat and who is less than five ft. in height in the back seat. * If a child must ride in the front seat, make sure the car seat is installed as far back as possible. Fasten the child securely in the child safety seat or seat belt. An air bag that opens suddenly can cause a serious injury to your infant or young child. * Air bags, used with seat belts, provide the best protection for older children and adults during an accident. * Remember that the back seat is the safest location for children to ride.