Parents will need to use a tape measure instead of the scale to determine if their children should be riding in a car booster seat starting New Year’s Day.  The state’s new child booster seat law goes into effect January 1, 2012 requiring parents or drivers transporting a child under the age of 8, or 4 feet, 9 inches in height, to be in an appropriate child passenger restraint system.  Gov. Jerry Brown signed the law in October, replacing a requirement that all children under the age of 6, or 60 pounds, be secured properly in a rear seat with a child booster.  Concerned parents worried about meeting requirements still can contact their local California Highway Patrol office to set up an appointment for a free inspection without the threat of citation or visit safekids.org to find a Safety Event in our community.SafeKids.org to find a Safety Event in your community Most parents could use the refresher, considering many haven’t been adhering to rules even before the new law because approximately 90% of all child safety seats are not installed correctly and thousands of children are injured or killed every year by safety seats that are improperly fastened by parents or caretakers.

Remember, most collisions occur within a mile of the home - so buckle your child in a safety seat for every trip, no matter how short.  Statistics show that motor vehicle injuries are the leading cause of death among U.S. children, and that children are 60-percent less likely to be injured in a crash if they’re riding in a booster seat as opposed to a regular seatbelt, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As with the previous booster seat law, the fine for a first offense is $100 and $250 for a second offense, but penalty assessments will push the cost of that ticket to $446 for a first offense or over $1,000 for a second offense.