Booster seat law goes into effect Tuesday

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (Newschannel 3) - Starting Tuesday, parents in Michigan will have to take new measures to protect their little passengers in the car.

That's because a new child safety seat law is going into effect, and if your child is between four- and eight-years-old and is shorter than 4'9'', he or she will have to ride in a booster seat.

Police will actually be able to judge whether you have the seats installed in your vehicle simply be looking at your car windows, and judging if your child is sitting high enough to see outside.

Carol Corey's daughter is seven-and-a-half, and beginning Tuesday, she'll have to go back in a booster seat because of her height.

While her daughter isn't happy about it, Corey says the law makes sense.

"I understand completely why the smaller children should be in a booster seat, because the seat belts do not work properly if they're not the right size," said Corey.

Partners for Child Passenger Safety, a group which studied accidents involving children, found that children who were using child restraints or booster seats were 28 percent less likely to be killed in a crash than children just wearing seat belts.

Deb Carpenter, who runs the Kalamazoo Co. Safe Kids Program at Bronson Children's Hospital, says she's gotten a lot of inquiries about the new law.

"Trying to sit in an auto seat with a lap and shoulder belt, they don't fit appropriately," she said. "The belts are made for adults, and not for children."

Carpenter says sometimes belts can rise up on kids and not fit properly, so it's important to get a seat, and make sure your child is safe.

And starting Tuesday, if you don't have a booster seat in the back of your car, you will face fines.

If you can't afford a booster seat, your county may have programs to help, and you can find out about them at any local car seat check event.