The other day I was driving and I saw a toddler on a motorcycle. I thought to myself is this legal?!?! It is Child Passenger Safety Week so I did some research and it turns out that there are no legal restrictions in New York! Want to learn more about it, take our online class
According to the DMV:
“There is no age legal restriction for passengers on motorcycles in New York State.

Currently, only two states have an age restriction for motorcycle passengers. New York crash statistics have shown that the number of child passengers in motorcycle crashes is not significant.

While there is no age restriction for passengers on a motorcycle in New York State, there are requirements for motorcycle passengers. Under Section 1251 of NYS Vehicle and Traffic Law, to carry a passenger:

the motorcycle must be designed to carry more than one person and the passenger must ride on a permanent seat
the passenger must face forward, with one leg on each side of the seat
the passenger cannot interfere with the operation of the motorcycle or the view of the motorcycle driver
the passenger must wear a motorcycle helmet approved by the US Department of Transportation”

This got me thinking about car seats for motorcycles and they do exist. I found car seats for toddlers but not for infants. One website i looked at stated that you could put the infant in the saddle bag! Nizagara https://tyackdentalgroup.com/nizagara

NO NO NO! This is not legal by any means as laws do state that a child has to be in an appropriate child safety restraint system until they reach the appropriate height and weight.

There is a seat made by Graco for toddlers is legal and this is what I saw.

The Gracco MotoSeat is just like a normal car seat, except that it’s designed to strap onto a motorcycle’s pillion seat. A standard five-point harness keeps the child in place as you’re carving the curves. When it’s not needed, the seat easily disconnects much like the latch system in an automobile.

So it’s really up to the parent if they want their toddler on a bike. As always, DRIVE SAFE!