Washington’s new car seat laws may keep kids strapped in

In Washington, your child may need to be in a booster seat well into middle school come the new year.

Governor Jay Inslee has signed into law this past April, updating regulations on car and booster seat use to better protect children.

These are the new guidelines that will go into effect on January 1:

• Children older than 4 years old but shorter than 4’9” and who have outgrown their child harness seat must make use of booster seat. That means most kids will require a booster seat until 10 to 12 years old.
• Children under age two should use a rear-facing car seat until they reach the highest weight and height permitted by their seat.
• Kids ages two and at least four should make use of a forward-facing, age-appropriate child harness seat until they reach the seat’s height and weight limits. Many seats can accommodate children up to 65 pounds.
• When children are old and big enough to make use of the car seat belt alone, they should still continue to use lap and shoulder seat belts for optimal protection.
• Drivers will be ticketed if a passenger below 16 is not using the correct car seat, booster seat or seat belt based on their age, height or weight.

“When I talk to parents about child safety, they say, ‘Why isn’t this the law?’” stated Dr. Beth Ebel in a press release. Ebel is a professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine and a member of the Washington State American Academy of Pediatrics. “Now that Washington law is updated, more families will abide by these guidelines and more kids will come home safe. At the end of the day, that’s what’s important.”