Can someone help with MA Booster Regulations?

[chlobo]

It's something like 8 yrs/80lbs/57 inches.

Do the kids have to be all 3 or those things? I have so many kids get in my car who are 8 but neither 80 lbs or 57 inches, tell me their parents don't make them ride in boosters. So what is the law?

[daniele_ut]

This is what I just found:


Children must ride in federally approved child safety seats (http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/import/FMVSS/index.html#SN213) until they are at least eight years old or at least 57 inches tall.



Children older than eight or taller than 57 inches must wear safety belts.



So, in MA it's an either/or thing. A child over the age of 8 can ride in a seat belt alone regardless of their size.



I have the same issue here with kids who I feel still need to be in boosters in my car but are over 8 and don't ride in them in their parents' cars. It's frustrating! I'm going to get flack from carpool in a few months when L turns 8 and I insist he still ride in a backless

[lalasmama]

http://www.mass.gov/eopss/crime-prev-personal-sfty/traffic-safety/cps/enhanced-child-passenger-safety-law.html

"In April 2008, Governor Deval Patrick signed Senate Bill 2018, dubbed the Booster Seat Bill, into law. Effective July 10, 2008, this enhancement of the Massachusetts Child Passenger Safety Law requires that all children riding in passenger motor vehicles must be in a Federally-approved child passenger restraint that is properly fastened and secured until they are 8 years old or over 57 inches tall. This will significantly increase the number of children who will be required to ride in a booster seat"

Now, do remember that what parents (or the law) allows isn't always the safest... In other words, a parent can stop making their child ride in the booster at 8 years old, but that doesn't mean it's "safe" to do so.

In my car, we do extended harnessing, and extended booster usage. I use a lot of "in my car, we ride in boosters until xyz" (see the link for what I look for before allowing a child to be booster-free in my car). A good friend lets her son ride in a booster, and he's barely 40 pounds and 4 years old. He knows when he gets in my car, he'll be in a Marathon, harnessed. Just how it goes in my car! (Wal-mart sells cheap boosters for under $15, so if friends should be boostered for safety and their parents don't bring one, I have a few of these in our shed just in case.)

[mrshalco]

My oldest is now 8 (and in MA, too) - he's 80 lbs and probably 50ish inches. He still sits in a Booster in all cars. We've recently had two friends in the car who do not use boosters at different times. They both sat between my sons - so between a booster and a Nautilus harnessed. It was so obvious to me how much they needed to be in boosters because the seat belt did not fit them well at all! The best part of the rides were - when my oldest corrected his friends for not having the seat belt in the right position :) Ahhh it's the little things in life.

It was also a great opportunity for us to talk about why I choose for him to still be in a booster. It was easier to say "remember how uncomfortable "A" was in his seat, see where the belt was, notice how he kept pulling the top part off his neck?"

I will be throwing some extra boosters in the car for the future!! I also learned a lesson ;)

[chlobo]

It's not so much my kid not wanting to ride in a booster that concerns me. It's more about the safety of the other kids riding in the booster. I was hoping to have the law on my side and be able to say "its the law" but apparently its not. Many of these kids are just too short to go without.

Darn it.

[lalasmama]

It's not so much my kid not wanting to ride in a booster that concerns me. It's more about the safety of the other kids riding in the booster. I was hoping to have the law on my side and be able to say "its the law" but apparently its not. Many of these kids are just too short to go without.

Darn it.

You can't control what the other parents do, of course, but you *can* control what happens in your car--which *can* mean boosters for kids who don't fit the "rules" (ie, shoulder belt across shoulder, lap belt across hips, back flat against seat, knees at seat bend, able to stay like that the whole ride). At 8, they are old enough to understand that those are the rules in your car. Have an extra $15 Walmart booster or two in the car, and you're set.

Personally, I don't know how I would recover if a friend's child died, or was injured, in my car, just because their parents didn't provide an appropriate seat. So, I enforce safety rules beyond the law. If a friend's child is in a car accident on my watch, I will know that I did what was safest... which means kids are in boosters in my car until they are over 80lbs, and over 4'9".

[Twoboos]

Thanks for posting/asking about this. I've been struggling with it this week during camp carpool. The two girls we're carpooling with are TINY (the same size or smaller than my just-turned 7yo), but over 8. The one going into 4th grade flat-out refuses to ride in a booster. They don't in their car, so why mine? :banghead:

Then there are all the other tiny-but-over-8 friends without boosters. It really makes me crazy. Because DD1 is very tall (55in if not 56) and asks constantly why she needs a booster. I just keep answering b/c it makes her safe and I like for her to be safe.

I really don't see how it can be an age thing. It should really be all height/weight.

Lalasmama, I was driving them yesterday trying not to think about getting in an accident... ugh.

[chlobo]

Thanks for posting/asking about this. I've been struggling with it this week during camp carpool. The two girls we're carpooling with are TINY (the same size or smaller than my just-turned 7yo), but over 8. The one going into 4th grade flat-out refuses to ride in a booster. They don't in their car, so why mine? :banghead:

Then there are all the other tiny-but-over-8 friends without boosters. It really makes me crazy. Because DD1 is very tall (55in if not 56) and asks constantly why she needs a booster. I just keep answering b/c it makes her safe and I like for her to be safe.

I really don't see how it can be an age thing. It should really be all height/weight.

Lalasmama, I was driving them yesterday trying not to think about getting in an accident... ugh.

This is the situation I'm in. And it is incredibly frustrating. They just flat out refuse.

Some of them tell me they get to ride without a booster but I know its only under extreme circumstances, its not the usual thing. Makes me feel like a chump, too, when I insist my kids ride with a booster in other people's cars. It really shouldn't be an age thing.

[Twoboos]

T
Some of them tell me they get to ride without a booster but I know its only under extreme circumstances, its not the usual thing.

I let DD1 ride without a booster the other day, it was a trip across town to pick up a friend for a playdate and I forgot the 3rd seat. (I know, I'm such a hypocrite!!) Anyway, the next day she jumped into the seat w/no booster again for a 20min drive and I missed it. As soon as I realized I pulled into a parking lot and made her switch. She was bummed and tried to pull the, "But I did it the other day!" line. The little scammer!! :wink2:

[dogmom]

Yes, it's frustrating. My son meets the age and height requirements, and the booster seat actually puts him in a bad position for the seat belt (too far to the side on his shoulder), so he needs to sit on the seat. But most of his friends are not that size. I go with "my car, my rules" statement and carry 2 extra boosters.

But the PP are correct, it is 8 OR the correct size, not both. The law was written because just trying make the people with 5 yo with no booster to start using them.

[Nechums]

Is it just me or does 4'9" seem a bit tall for an eight year old? When do most kids hit that height? Some of my short adult friends are barely 4'11". Funny to think that they are two inches away from needing a booster.

[jren]

Is it just me or does 4'9" seem a bit tall for an eight year old? When do most kids hit that height? Some of my short adult friends are barely 4'11". Funny to think that they are two inches away from needing a booster.

I was thinking the same thing. My DD is 8 and 4'6" and was the tallest in her 2nd grade class last year.

[KrisM]

My 8 yo is 52". He's about average in his class it seems. He's still in a booster. Most of his friends are, too. I know of 1 who isn't, but he's 5'4" at 8.5, so plenty tall enough :).

[crl]

My nine year old is 55 inches tall and 68 pounds. He's pretty tall for his age. I do need to check again to see if he meets the tests for riding without a booster because he asked. (Six months ago we checked and he did not, but he has gotten taller.)

I must be a big meanie, because my car my rules has always worked for me.

Catherine

[lalasmama]

I must be a big meanie, because my car my rules has always worked for me.


:yeahthat: Maybe the kids are scared of me? LOL I've had one 6yo balk about it once, and I picked up my phone, told her, "I'll let your mom come get you then, if you don't want to follow the rules, and we'll try again next year" and that's all it took. Of course, not all situations can be dealt with like this, and a 6yo is easier to "scare" into obeying...