Massachusetts Booster Seat Law Now In Effect

Chrissie Cole

Contributor

0 CommentsPrint ArticleSubscribe

A new law requiring children eight and younger to use a booster seat is now in effect in Massachusetts.

According to the current law, children are required to use a car seat until they turn five or weigh 40 pounds. After five they are required to use an adult seat belt.

The new law carries a $25 fine. The law is primary law enforcement, which means police are permitted to stop a car if they feel a child is not buckled properly.

The new law replaces child weight requirement with height requirement to ensure the seat belt goes across the child’s waist and shoulder’s properly. The law requires a child to be 4 feet 9 inches tall to start wearing a seat belt without a booster seat.

Car accidents are the main cause of child death cases in children aged 3 to 14, according to State Police statistics. In the state of Massachusetts about 69 percent of children adequately fit seat belts and safety belts which is a low percentage in comparison to an 82 percent national average.

Proper safety measures prevent 50 percent of all serious injury cases that occur from car accidents.