What's New
New Booster Seat Law
Provided by the Minnesota Department of Public SafetyMinnesota children under age 8 or shorter than 4 feet 9 inches tall must be in a child safety seat or booster seat, effective July 1, 2009. Under the new booster law, children cannot use a seat belt alone until they are age 8 or 4 feet 9 inches tall—whichever comes first.
To ensure child safety, the MinnesotaDepartment of Public Safety (DPS) recommends that parents keep children in a booster based on their height, rather than their age. DPS has materials available for family physicians to download and distribute at: www.buckleupkids.state.mn.us. – including a flier explaining the law, frequently asked questions and more.
In the last five years in Minnesota, 2004-2008, 18 children passengersages 4-8 were killed in crashes and 3,047 were injured. Child passenger safety officials say the importance of boosters is underscored by death and injuries associated with poor seat belt fit – including ejection, internal decapitation and serious abdominal damage. Darby says children are not ready to ride in a seat belt alone until they can sit with their back against the vehicle seat, knees bent completely over the seat and feet touching the floor. Darby says a sign that a seat belt does not fit properly is if the child wraps the shoulder belt behind them to avoid the belt rubbing against their neck. A child must progress through a series of child seats, as they grow: rear-facing infant seats, forward-facing toddler seats, booster seats, and seat belts – all of which are effective and necessary. In Minnesota, three out of every four child restraints are used incorrectly –meaning children are riding in the wrong restraint or the restraint is not properly secured. In the last five years, 2004-2008, 44 vehicle occupants under age 10 were killed on Minnesota roads and 32 of the victims were not in child restraints, or the restraint was used improperly. (Photographs courtesy Minneapolis Department of Public Safety, Child Safety Link).
Booster seats lift a child up allowing for proper seat belt fit the lap belt low and snug across the hips and the shoulder belt snug across the middle of the chest. Typically children around age 4 and more than 40 pounds are ready for a booster, upon outgrowing a forward-facing child safety seat.
“Boosters are common sense safety tools to ensure children are riding as safe as possible in a vehicle,” says Heather Darby, DPA child passenger safety coordinator. “Children that are shorter than 4 feet 9 simply aren’t tall enough to use a seat belt alone; if they do, a belt may do more damage than good in case of a crash.”
DPS reports only 30 percent of Minnesota children use boosters.
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