Parents Need to Be Up to Speed on California’s New Booster Seat Law

Now that back-to-school shopping is done, parents of children 4 and older have another task to tend to: making sure they are in compliance with California’s new booster seat law to ensure their children are protected while riding in the car.

The measure, similar to those enacted in six other states, will take effect Jan. 1. It mandates that children must be secured in a child safety seat or car booster seat until they are 6 years old or weigh 60 pounds. It expands the current law, which requires children younger than 4 or who weigh less than 40 pounds to ride in a safety seat. Violations of the new law will bring fines of $100 for a first offense and $250 thereafter.

Booster seats, which cost $20 to $80 or more, are available at toy stores and baby product retailers in scores of brands and models. The seats position a child so the adult lap and shoulder belts fit more comfortably and safely.

The new California law is meant to close the safety gap for children who have outgrown infant car seats but are not big enough to be protected by adult safety belts. These “forgotten passengers,” to quote many safety advocates, are older than infants, who are safely secured in car seats from their first ride home from the hospital, and younger than teenagers, who are benefiting from improved safety attributed to graduated licenses that phase in driving privileges.

Indeed, among children ages 5 to 9, more than 500 are killed and 95,000 are injured annually in motor vehicle accidents, according to the latest data compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Many of these deaths and injuries could be prevented, experts say, if the youngsters were secured properly.

As does the rest of the country, Californians have a way to go to protect post-infant, preteen passengers, according to data gathered by Partners for Child Passenger Safety.

The group--a collaborative effort of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania and State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co.--evaluated more than 250,000 State Farm-insured children younger than 16 who were involved in crashes in model-year 1990 or newer vehicles from 1998 to 2000.

The study found that 82% of California children ages 4 to 8 were restrained by only an adult seat belt, and fewer than 1% of California 8-year-olds were properly restrained. (More details on findings for California and other states studied are posted on the Internet at https://www.traumalink.chop.edu).

Six other states--Arkansas, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Washington--have passed booster seat laws that have gone into effect or will soon. Spurring the movement are consumer advocacy groups and parents, some of whom have lost children in crashes.

Autumn Alexander Skeen, a journalist in Washington, successfully lobbied the state Legislature for a booster seat law after her 4-year-old son, Anton, died in a 1996 car crash. He was using an adult safety belt system, which she thought was adequate protection.

Seven states is “a good start,” but it’s not enough, said Catherine Chase, director of state affairs for Advocates for Auto and Highway Safety, echoing other advocates who are pushing for booster seat laws coast to coast. Two pending federal bills would order states to make booster seats mandatory after children outgrow infant safety seats.

Booster seats offer increased safety at a small expense, Chase said, noting that the cost may be no more than a tank or two of gasoline. In addition, she said, many youngsters take to the seats for a simple reason: They can see out of the car better.

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Good Carma is a guide to automotive-related health and consumer issues. Kathleen Doheny can be reached at kdoheny@compuserve.com.