Effective January 1, 2012, children under eight-years-old will now have to be secured in a child safety seat or booster seat in California.
Beginning January 1, children under age eight must be properly buckled into a car seat or booster, and in the back seat. In addition, children age eight or older who are not tall enough for the seat belt to fit properly must ride in a booster or car seat.
Previously, the law required that children remain in a booster seat until the age of six or they weighed sixty pounds.
Parents can be cited for each child less than 16 years of age that is not properly secured.
Booster seats allow children to be boosted up in order to make adult-sized belts safely fit a child’s body. If secured improperly in a vehicle, children can be severely injured by the belt itself if involved in a collision.