Booster Seat Laws

Booster seat laws protect children who are too big or too old for a car seat. Many parents fail to use booster seats for their older children, relying instead on seat belts to protect them. Car crashes kill more kids between the ages of 4 and 8 than anything else. Protect your kids in booster seats if they have outgrown their child seats--every time and for every drive.

Size

• If your child is 8 years old or under and under 4 feet 9 inches, he should be in a booster seat.

History

• In 2000, the first booster seat law was passed in the Washington (effective July 1, 2002). In 2002, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration changed their recommendations for booster seat use to protect kids who are too big for child safety seats. They encourage states to make laws that require appropriate child restraint use, including laws that protect booster seat-age children.

Progress

• Thirty-eight states have passed booster seat revisions to their child restraint laws.

Cost

• A backless booster seat can cost as low as $15. Low-income state programs might be available for those who can't afford a booster seat. Check your state's website for more information.

Injuries

• Sever damage can be caused to the intestines, liver and spleen when seat belts slip from a child's pelvis up to the abdomen. A booster seat lifts a child high enough to prevent the seat belt from slipping.