Washington State: Kids could be stuck in booster seats until 16

The Everett Herald ^ | May 11, 2007 | Scott Pesznecker and Melissa Slager

[Stoat]

Thousands of Washington children will be forced back into car and booster seats next month when a change to state law takes effect.

On June 1, children will have to stay in the safety seats until they are at least 8 years old or 4 feet, 9 inches tall.

Violators face a $112 ticket.

About half of all children between 6 to 8 years old will be affected by the change, according to safety advocates.

"It's going to be a big challenge for those kids who have been out of the booster seat to get back," said Shawneri Guzman of Snohomish County SAFE KIDS, a nonprofit group that works to prevent childhood injuries.

The change means parents such as Renee Shonko, 44, of Lake Stevens must break the news to their children.

Daughters Lexi, 8, and Karly, 10, aren't exactly thrilled to be going back into booster seats.

"I don't like it," said Karly, who at 4-foot-8 (with shoes on) is taller than most of her classmates. But that's not tall enough for a seat belt to fit her properly.

Currently, children are required to ride in booster seats until they're 6 years old or weigh 60 pounds.

The changes also require children to use booster seats until they are 16 years old if a vehicle's seat belt does not properly fit the child.

Another change requires children younger than 13 to ride in the back seat whenever possible. They're allowed to ride in the front only if the vehicle has no lap-and-shoulder belts in the back seat.

 

[keepitreal]

Ha ha. Note that the booster seats make the seat belts not sit properly on these girls. All hail the nanny state!

[Empireoftheatom48]

This has got to be a joke right? Something left over from April 1 right?

[Bigh4u2]

It’s the ‘or’ that forces older kids into the boosters.

If you are not over 4’9”, then into the booster you go.

I wonder how that’s going to work out for ‘little people’?

[Alouette]

Another 2 inches and I will require a booster seat! And I am a grandmother.

[Sue Perkick]

The nanny state strikes again.

[Bigh4u2]

BTW. The New York law doesn’t have the ‘or’ exception and I don’t doubt that this law may written the same way, irregardless of the reporters interpretation.

I’d like to see exactly how the law is written.

[metesky]

This wouldn't have affected me at all; when I was 12 I was 5' 10" and 140 lbs with one of those shave-every-four-days moustaches and steering from the middle of the bench seat as The Old Man taught me ho to handle a car.

I feel sorry for today's kids and the forced infantilism.

[Sue Perkick]

Heck, I’d be in one NOW. LOL. Not gonna happen.

[ShadowAce]

It’s the ‘or’ that forces older kids into the boosters.

Incorrect. A nine-year-old passes the test for being out of the booster seat since he/she is older than eight. Once that condition passes, the "or" then allows you to ignore the height requirement.

[massgopguy]

What happened to sitting on the Yellow Pages?

[HoosierHawk]

Who dreams up this stuff? And why?

[dragonblustar]

LMAO!!!!! Good one!!

[pesto]

No, the “or” means that if you are 7 and 4 feet 9 you don’t have to be in a car seat. It’s the rule that the seat belt must fit properly that puts older kids in booster seats..

[DakotaRed]

How did we ever survive riding in the back of open pickup trucks and station wagons when we were kids? No seat belts, no helmets on bicycles, no child seats, nuttin.

Of course, don’t forget, the (old) new seat belt law will never ever be used to pull someone over and ticketed only for no seat belt.

[Sue Perkick]

The left. They do it “for the children”.

[TChris]

Thank heaven for the nanny-state government! What ever would we do without their superior care and wisdom to watch over us?

[OXENinFLA]

I'm confused.

If it reads.

"On June 1, children will have to stay in the safety seats until they are at least 8 years old or 4 feet, 9 inches tall."

Doesn't that mean once they hit 9 years old the law doesn't apply to them.

What am I missing?

[Scotswife]

shouldn’t the solution be for the regular seat belts be made to adjust?
There are some adults that fit this description here.

[AnAmericanMother]

The kids are both leaning into the center of the picture, which makes the shoulder belts look like they don't fit.

If they sat up straight, the belts would be tracking across the collarbone, like they're supposed to.

But booster seats put them up higher and creates a greater risk of hitting the backs of the front seats.

There's a short buckle strap that pulls the shoulder component down to the waist belt so that the shoulder belt fits a medium-sized kid (or a small adult) properly. The National Highway Safety Board doesn't recommend them because they're not tested . . . but so long as the strap is strong enough and fits properly, why not?

[mockingbyrd]

this is crap.....

If it was all that important, school buses would have booster seats, not to mention seat belts.