Is your child ready for a seat belt? Maybe not. Car crashes kill more children between the ages of 4 and 8 years than any other cause. Most Washington drivers wear seatbelts, but research shows that more than 50 percent of all kids ages 4 to 8 are using seatbelts too early. While seat belts save lives, they are designed for adult bodies. The tremendous crash forces in many collisions can cause a child to be ejected and killed or to suffer internal and spinal injuries.
Washington State passed the first law in the country that requires the use of booster seats. Effective July 1, 2002, children must ride in a booster seat from the age of 4 years (or 40 pounds) to 6 years (or 60 pounds). Safety experts recommend that children use booster seats until they are 8 years old and weigh 80 pounds.
A booster seat is for children who outgrow a car seat but are not big enough to safely use the adult seat belt. The booster seat sits on your car seat and raises your child so the car’s seat belts fit properly. Without a booster seat, children wearing adult seat belts risk serious neck and abdominal injuries in traffic crashes. The chances of surviving a crash are 36 percent better when a child is in a booster seat.
