Traffic Safety Unit

Special learners permit driving restrictions

• Display a reflectorized decal on each license plate (front/back); decals available at motor vehicle agencies, $4 per pair
• No driving after 11:01 p.m. and before 5:00 a.m.
• You must be accompanied in the front seat by an adult supervising driver who is at least 21 years of age and who possesses a valid New Jersey driver license and has a minimum of three years driving experience
• Parent(s), guardian(s) or dependant(s) are allowed as passengers. A dependant is a permit or probationary driver’s child, not siblings
• Only one additional passenger is allowed unless accompanied by a parent or guardian
• You can’t use cell phones, hand held video games or any other hands-free interactive, wireless communication device
• Seat belts must be worn at all times

Examination permit restrictions

• You must be at least 17 years old and not in suspension status
• Display a reflectorized decal on each license plate (front/back); decals available at motor vehicle agencies, $4 per pair
• No driving after 11:01 p.m. and before 5:00 a.m.
• You must be accompanied in the front seat by an adult supervising driver who is at least 21 years of age and who possesses a valid New Jersey driver license and has a minimum of three years driving experience
• Parent(s), guardian(s) or dependant(s) are allowed as passengers. A dependant is a permit or probationary driver’s child, not siblings
• Only one additional passenger is allowed unless accompanied by a parent or guardian
• If you are at least 21 years old, there are no passenger or hour restrictions
• You can’t use cell phones, hand held video games or any other hands-free interactive, wireless communication device
• Seatbelts must be worn at all times

Probationary driver license restrictions

• Display a reflectorized decal on each license plate (front/back); decals available at motor vehicle agencies, $4 per pair
• No driving after 11:01 p.m. and before 5:00 a.m. See GDL Exemptions for exceptions due to employment or religious reasons
• Parent(s), guardian(s) or dependant(s) are allowed as passengers. A dependant is a permit or probationary driver’s child, not siblings
• Only one additional passenger is allowed unless accompanied by a parent or guardian
• You can’t use cell phones, hand held video games or any other hands-free interactive, wireless communication device
• Seat belts must be worn at all times

GDL Exemptions 

• Permit and probationary drivers under 21 are eligible for hours-related exemptions for employment or religious reasons
• Drivers must carry legible documentation on letterhead signed by the employer, organization or religious institution stating the reasons for this request
• Include signature, title, address and telephone number of designated official

One of our highest priorities is to ensure the safety of all those who use roadways in Beachwood. As we see it, our job is to make the roadways safer by reducing injuries, property damage, and the loss of life caused by motor vehicle crashes, by:

Enforcing the Vehicle and Traffic Law and other regulations;
Compiling, analyzing, and sharing data on accident causes; and
Providing education on safe driving to schools, civic organizations and other governmental groups.

Special attention is directed at state, county and local controlled access roads for which the Beachwood Police has primary responsibility, and dedicated patrols.  Police Officers on patrol and Traffic safety Officers enforce the Vehicle & Traffic Law, investigate motor vehicle crashes, assist disabled motorists, and provide many other professional services.

This commitment is supported by an aggressive traffic safety program that works to save lives, reduce injuries, and save state residents millions of dollars otherwise expended as a result of crashes.

The Beachwood Police ensures our roadways are safe and that traffic flows efficiently by employing activities such as:

Sobriety checkpoints & MVC checkpoints

DWI, underage drinking, and speed saturation patrols

Dedicated enforcement patrols

Radar posts & radar Patrols

Site Triangle inspections

Each year, the Traffic Safety Unit develops a comprehensive Traffic Safety Plan focusing on enforcement and education. The activities included in the plan address the three primary causes of crashes and fatalities – excessive speed, driving while intoxicated (DWI), and failure to use seat belts or child safety restraints. The plan also provides for the specialized training and equipment given to our officers to carry out these efforts in cooperation with our Command staff.

The Beachwood Police Department is proud to offer free of charge Child Seat Inspections to any parent, grandparent or caregiver who resides in Beachwood. If you wish to have your seat inspected, contact Sergeant Dennis Allen (732) 286-6000 ext. 106 or by email @ Trafficsafety@beachwoodpolice.com.

Please make an appointment before you come to the department because the Officers are actively patrolling and may not be available for the inspection at that time. Please make sure your child is well fed and rested, a inspection can take anywhere from a few minutes to one half hour depending on the seat you purchased.

PLEASE REMEMBER THE BEACHWOOD POLICE DEPARTMENT OFFCERS FREE INSPECTIONS, NOT INSTALLATIONS. YOU ARE EXPECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE FULL INSTALLATION AND ARE ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR CHILD, THE CAR SEAT, AND ITS PROPER USE. 

For Mothers or Fathers, have your seat installed and ready to go at least two weeks before your due date or scheduled C-section date. It’s important that every child is secured properly at all times while in a motor vehicle.    

Children under 8 years of age who weigh less than 80 pounds are to be secured properly to ride in a child safety seat or booster seat in the rear seat of the vehicle. If there is no rear seat, the child may sit in the front seat, but s/he must be secured by a child safety seat or booster seat.

Rear Facing Seats:

For the best possible protection, keep infants in the back seat, in rear-facing child safety seats, up to the maximum height or weight limit mandated by the child safety seat manufacturer (this information can be found on a label affixed to the seat and in the seat owner’s manual). Parents should keep infants rear-facing until s/he is at least one year of age and 20 pounds.

Forward Facing Seats:

When children out grow their rear-facing seats (at a minimum age of one and at least 20 pounds), they should ride in forward-facing, child safety seats in the back seat, up to the maximum height or weight limit mandated by the child safety seat manufacturer (this information can be found on a label affixed to the seat and in the seat owner’s manual), which is usually no younger than age 4 and when they weigh at least 40 pounds.

Booster Seats:

Once children outgrow their forward-facing seats (usually no younger than age 4 and when they weigh at least 40 pounds), they should ride in a booster seat, in the back seat, until the vehicle seat belts fit properly. Seat belts fit properly when the lap belt lays across the upper thighs and the shoulder belt fits across the chest (usually at age 8 or when they are 4’9” tall).

Seat Belts:

When children outgrow their booster seats, (usually at age 8 or when they are 4’9” tall), they can use the adult seat belt in the back seat, if it fits properly (when the lap belt lays across the upper thighs and the shoulder belt fits across the chest). Adults should set a good example for children by buckling up, every ride, whether they are riding in a front or rear seat.

New Jersey’s Seat Belt Law: (NJS 39:3-76.2f)

Applies to all passenger vehicles including vans, pickup trucks and SUV’s, that are required to be equipped with seat belts.

Applies to all passengers, who are at least 8 years of age but less than 18 years of age, and each driver and front seat passenger of a passenger automobile, operated on a street or highway. All of these occupants are required to wear a properly adjusted and fastened seat belt system.

On January 18, 2010, legislation was signed into law requiring all occupants to buckle up, regardless of their seating position in a vehicle. A secondary offense, the new law allows police to issue summonses to unbuckled back seat occupants, 18 years of age and older, when the vehicle they are riding in is stopped for another violation. The law is effective immediately.

Makes the driver responsible for proper seat belt use by all occupants who are under the age of 18.

In New Jersey law, a child under eight years old and less than 57” tall must be secured in a child passenger restraint system or booster seat that complies with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Number 213 in the rear seat of a motor vehicle equipped with safety belts or a Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) system when being transported on New Jersey’s roadways, streets or highways.

Babies and Children Up to Two Years Old and Less Than Thirty Pounds

A child under two years old and weighing less than thirty pounds must be secured in a rear-facing child passenger restraint system equipped with a five-point harness when being transported in a motor vehicle equipped with safety belts or a Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) system on New Jersey’s roadways, streets, or highways. 

If your motor vehicle does not have any rear seats, the child must be secured in a child passenger restraint system or booster seat in a front seat; a child may be secured in a rear-facing child passenger restraint system in the front seat only if your motor vehicle is not equipped with a passenger-side airbag or if the passenger-side airbag is disabled or turned off.

Children Up to Four Years Old and Less Than Forty Pounds

A child under four years old and weighing less than forty pounds must be secured in a rear-facing child passenger restraint system equipped with a five-point harness until he or she outgrows the manufacturer’s top height or weight recommendations, at which point the child must be secured in a forward-facing child passenger restraint system equipped with a five-point harness in the back seat, or in a forward-facing child passenger restraint system equipped with a five-point harness, when being transported in a motor vehicle equipped with safety belts or a Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) system on New Jersey’s roadways, streets, or highways. 

If your motor vehicle does not have any rear seats, the child must be secured in a child passenger restraint system or booster seat in a front seat; a child may be secured in a rear-facing child passenger restraint system in the front seat only if your motor vehicle is not equipped with a passenger-side airbag or if the passenger-side airbag is disabled or turned off.

Children Up to Eight Years Old and Less Than 57” Tall

A child under eight years old and less than 57” tall must be secured in a forward-facing child passenger restraint system equipped with a five-point harness until he or she outgrows the manufacturer’s top height or weight recommendations, at which point the child must be secured in a booster seat in a rear seat, or in a booster seat, when being transported in a motor vehicle equipped with safety belts or a Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) system on New Jersey’s roadways, streets, or highways. 

If your motor vehicle does not have any rear seats, the child must be secured in a child passenger restraint system or booster seat in a front seat; a child may be secured in a rear-facing child passenger restraint system in the front seat only if your motor vehicle is not equipped with a passenger-side airbag or if the passenger-side airbag is disabled or turned off.

Children Under Eight Years Old and Over Eighty Pounds

A child under eight years old and weighing over eighty pounds must wear a properly adjusted and fastened safety seat belt system as defined by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Number 209 when being transported in a passenger automobile operated on New Jersey’s streets or highways.

Children Eight to Seventeen Years Old

A child between the ages of eight and seventeen years old must wear a properly adjusted and fastened safety seat belt system as defined by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Number 209 when being transported in a passenger automobile operated on New Jersey’s streets or highways. A passenger automobile includes vans, pick-up trucks, and utility vehicles.

Penalties for Violations

You may be fined between $50.00 and $75.00 for violating New Jersey’s child passenger restraint system law. You may be fined $46.00 for violating New Jersey’s safety seat belt law.

Exemptions

Your child may be exempt from New Jersey’s child passenger restraint system law if he or she is being transported on a school bus.

Resources:

Recalls on child seats:

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/recalls/childseat.cfm

or

National Highway Traffic safety Administration.

1-888-327-4236

The University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center.   ( 1-800-672-4527 )

American Association of Pediatrics.

www.aap.org/family/carseatguide.htm