Skip to content 
Age that children must remain in a booster seat has increased to age 8.
Beginning January 1, 2012, children under age 8 must be properly buckled into a car seat or booster seat, in the back seat. In addition, children age eight or older who are not tall enough for the seat belt to fit properly, must ride in a booster or car seat. The previous law required that children remain in a booster seat until the age of six or they weighed sixty pounds.
“This is an important new law that will impact more than 1.1 million children in California. Keeping them in booster seats increases their chance of surviving a crash by 45 percent,” said Sonja Atkins, Coordinator, Safe Kids Greater Sacramento.
The fine for violating this law is significant. For each child under 16 who is not properly secured, parents (if in the car) or the driver, can be fined more than $475 and get a point added to their driving record.
As opposed to the steep fine for violating the law, complying with the law should be inexpensive. “Most children impacted by the law can remain in the booster seat they already have, and if is necessary to buy a new one, low back boosters can be purchased at major retailers for 15 to 20 dollars each,” said Atkins.
A booster simply “boosts” the child up in order to make the adult-sized belt safely fit a child-sized body. If the belt crosses the child’s stomach instead of the hip bones, the child risks damage to internal organs and/or a spinal cord injury if involved in a collision.
A child fits an adult seat belt when:
- They can sit against the vehicle seat back with their knees bent without slouching and can comfortably stay in this position throughout the trip,
- The lap belt is low on the hips touching the upper thighs,
- The shoulder belt crosses the chest, and is not in the face or the neck.
- Never let your child put the shoulder belt behind their arm or back. In a crash, the child could sustain major injuries including head and spinal cord injuries. If the child is putting the shoulder belt behind them, this is a sign that they may still need a booster.
For more information about car seats, the new law or help in determining if your child still needs a booster seat, call your local health department or go to cdph.ca.gov/vosp.
For the booster seat educational flyer in English, click here.
For the booster seat educational flyer in Arabic, click here.
For the booster seat educational flyer in Cambodian, click here.
For the booster seat educational flyer in Chinese, click here.
For the booster seat educational flyer in Farsi, click here.
For the booster seat educational flyer in Hmong, click here.
For the booster seat educational flyer in Korean, click here.
For the booster seat educational flyer in Punjabi, click here.
For the booster seat educational flyer in Russian, click here.
For the booster seat educational flyer in Spanish, click here.
For the booster seat educational flyer in Vietnamese, click here.
For additional car seat help information, click here.
