Starting today, any motorist with a passenger younger than 8 who is not restrained by a booster seat or other child-restraint system will be violating state law.
"It's to make the kids safe," said Karen Liddle, Otsego County's Stop-DWI coordinator and executive secretary for the county's traffic-safety board.
Violators face a fine of up to $100, court surcharges and three points on their driver's licenses.
The new law raises the child-restraint age limit by one year, meaning 7-year-olds who have been out of booster seats will have to return to them. In 2005, the state began requiring booster seats or another child-restraint system for children ages 4 through 6.
There is a height and weight exception built into the law allowing those younger than 8 who are more than 4 feet 9 inches tall or who weigh more than 100 pounds to ride with just a seat belt.
A study by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that children between the ages of 4 and 8 are 59 percent more likely to have serious injuries in a crash if they are not in a booster seat, Liddle said.
Those injuries frequently involve the back and neck, she said.
New York joins 21 other states with the same age requirement.
Pat Crispell of the Otsego County Department of Public Health said booster seats place a child into the position for which seat belts are designed.
"The only thing the booster seat is doing is raising the child up high so the seat belt in your car fits them where it is supposed to," Crispell said. "If you are too short, the shoulder strap is not going to be where it is supposed to be and will cause harm. Children are being injured and killed when they are not properly restrained in a vehicle." There were more than 6,300 children younger than 9 injured in car crashes in New York last year, according to the state Department of Motor Vehicles.
The law raising the age requirement was passed by the Legislature this year and signed by Gov. David Paterson on Aug. 26.
Crispell and Liddle both said it is important to ensure car seats for children too young for booster seats are properly installed and used. Three out of every four car seats are not, they said.
Crispell said it can be hard for motorists to learn how to use car seats effectively because the models of the seats vary, as do the models of cars.
The county Department of Public Health conducts free car-seat checks and has programs that enable eligible motorists to get new seats if their seats are deficient.
Those interested in making appointments for car-seat checks may call 547-7595, Crispell said.
Crispell said that although some parents may feel inconvenienced to have to dust off their booster seats for their 7-year-olds, the intent of the law is to deal with a serious risk faced by children. "There is a risk when children are not restrained properly."
Liddle said she and others who work in traffic safety have been reaching out to schools and doctors to help get information about the new law to motorists.
"There may be some adjustment period, but we're trying to get the message out," she said.
Liddle also recommends parents use booster seats for children who may be over the legal threshold of 8 but under the recommended height and weight limit.
"It's common sense," she said.
Booster seat and child-restraint system tips
"¢ Restrain children on every trip.
"¢ Use rear seat for all children.
"¢ Use restraints correctly.
"¢ For newborns until the child is at least 20 pounds and 1-year-old, use a rear-facing infant or convertible seat.
"¢ For children more than 20 pounds and 1-year-old up to 40-pounds use a forward-facing convertible seat or forward-facing combination seat with harness straps.
"¢ For children more than 40 pounds and up to at least the age of 8, use a booster seat with a lap and shoulder seat belt.
"¢ For children older than 8 or more than 4 feet 9 inches tall, use a lap and shoulder belt.
"¢ Children should never place the shoulder belt behind their backs or under their arms.
