New Texas Law Requires Children to Ride in Booster Seat Until Age 8

On May 29th, Texas changed its law regarding children safety seats in vehicles.

booster The new law requires children to ride in booster seats until they are at least 8 years old or 4-feet-9 inches tall. Up until now, children had to be at least 5 years old or more than 3 feet tall to ride without a booster-seat.

The change comes from statistics which show alarming rates of child injuries in Texas vehicle accidents. Lawmakers argued that motor-vehicle accidents are one of the main causes of child fatalities. Standard seat belts are made for adults and requiring young children to stay in a booster-seat longer is a much safer option. Lap belts ride up and shoulder belts can cut into a child's neck and face in a car crash. Booster seats, however, help elevate small kids so that their stronger bones (like the collarbone and pelvis) take the brunt of the impact in an accident.

The new law takes effect Sept. 1, 2009. Texas will be the 24th state to require kids to ride in a booster chair until age 8.

4 Steps for Kids: Know How Children Should Ride

From birth to at least 1-year-old or and at least 20 pounds, in the back seat in a rear-facing chair.
From age 1 and 20 pounds to age 4 and 40 pounds, in the back seat in a forward-facing seat.
From age 4 to age 8, in a back-seat booster chair.
At age 8 and over 4-foot-9, all children age 12 and under should ride in the backseat with a seatbelt.

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