New Jersey law does not specify a minimum age for a passenger to occupy the front seat of a vehicle. However, the state’s child passenger safety laws focus primarily on height and weight restrictions related to appropriate car seat or booster seat usage. These regulations are designed to ensure the safety of children in motor vehicles.
The absence of a specific age restriction for front seat occupancy necessitates careful consideration of a child’s physical development and maturity. While not legally mandated, child safety advocates generally recommend that children under a certain age and size remain in the back seat for optimal protection in the event of a collision. This recommendation stems from research indicating that younger children are more vulnerable to injury from airbags.
