31 Booster Seats Recommended In 2011 In USA
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has included a record 31 booster seats designated "Best Bets" - these seats position a safety belt on an average 4 to 8 year old child in virtually any car, SUV or minivan. Their prices range from under $15 to several hundred. The Institute also added 5 Good Bets, which provide adequate belt fit in the majority of vehicles.
A booster seat is used for a child who is now too big for forward-facing child restraints. With a booster seat, the child should be elevated and the lap and shoulder belts of the car should be correctly positioned so that the child is restrained in the event of a collision.
Some booster seats are better at doing this than others. The difficulty for purchasers is that they cannot determine which ones are the best by simply comparing prices or features.
New law increases age for booster car seats
“I'm not a baby anymore,” Lopez said Monday outside Santa Rosa's Doyle Park Elementary School.
Unfortunately for Lopez, a new law that was sponsored by a North Coast lawmaker and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown means he likely will have to use a booster seat for two more years.
The law, which takes effect Jan. 1, requires kids to remain in booster seats until they are 8-years-old, or until they are 4 feet 9 inches tall.
Currently, kids legally can avoid booster seats when they turn 6 or reach 60 pounds.
Parents who are caught violating the law could be hit with a fine of nearly $500 and have a point deducted from their driving record.
The legislation was sponsored by Sen. Noreen Evans, D—Santa Rosa, who was out of the country Monday and unavailable for comment, according to her staff.
In a press release, Evans said the law will save lives and prevent injuries. She also suggested that the regulations will not be a burden on parents, stating that they “merely” will require parents to “keep their children in their existing seats two years longer.
