New California Law Mandates Booster Seats by January 1

Child booster seats save lives. And soon, California will require that children be secured in a child safety or booster seat until they reach 6 years of age or 60 pounds. This new law extends the current law requiring children up to 4 years of age or 40 pounds to ride in a safety seat.

Traffic collisions are the leading cause of death for children ages 12 and younger. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, more than 500 children ages 5 to 9 are killed and 95,000 injured annually in motor vehicle crashes. Even more alarming, 90 percent of children between the ages of 4 and 8 who were seriously injured in crashes between 1998 and 2000 were not secured in booster seats.

In California, 124 children under the age of 12 lost their lives in auto accidents in 2000. Of these, 79 were either not wearing seat belts or were improperly secured, according to the California Highway Patrol.

“Parents need to put child passenger safety at the top of their holiday season wish lists,” said Candysse Miller, executive director of the Insurance Information Network of California. “More families will be driving for holiday shopping, parties and the traditional visit to see Santa Claus.”

California’s new booster seat law is similar to laws already in place in Arkansas, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Washington. The first offense for breaking the law is a fine of $100. However, each subsequent violation will cost $250.

Although the law mandates weight guidelines for booster seat usage, safety experts urge parents to check how their children fit into traditional safety belts.

“If the safety belt does not cross the child’s shoulder between the neck and arm or if the lap belt does not cross low, touching the thighs, then parents should consider a booster seat, regardless of the child’s age,” Miller added.

For more information on proper child safety restraints, parents can log on to www.carseat.org.