CA car seat laws - clarification

Jan06twinmom

New member
So the news about the new CA car seat law is hitting our news tonight and it looks like it is in the paper tomorrow. But I'm seeing conflicting information from different news sources which is going to add to the confusion.

-One thing I read said children 8 and under would need to be in a booster seat unless they are 4'9" or taller. (so basically 8yo would be in booster seats, unless they were tall enough)

-Another thing I read said children would need to be in a booster seat until their 8th birthday unless they are 4'9" (so 8yo would be out of a booster seat, regardless of height. Some 7yo would be tall enough)

-One news station explained that children who were over 8yo and didn't fit in the seat belt properly would need to be in a booster seat. (So really the 8yo doesn't matter, it's all about size of the child and fit of the seatbelt.)

Can someone please clarify the new CA law?

Melanie
 
ADS

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
There are 2 requirements:

-Children must be in a child restraint (harness, booster, vest), properly used, in the back seat until they turn 8 OR are 4'9" (whichever comes first.)
-After that, all children must ride in a PROPERLY FITTING belt (defined as lap belt low and snug across the hips or top of the thighs, shoulder belt crossing the shoulder, in contact across the chest) until age 16. If the belt does not fit properly a booster is needed to achieve this fit. (Or they may use a harness.)

After age 16 all occupants must wear a seatbelt properly (no belts behind shoulders, etc.)

Exceptions include:
-If a child over 40 lbs is in a lap only belt, that is allowed (wish we could change that, but probably won't happen any time soon, however there are thankfully less and less lap-only belts on the road.)
-If there is no back seat, all back seat positions are in use by children under 12, or a child restraint can't be properly installed in the back seat, the back seat requirement doesn't apply.
-A medical exemption applies with a note from a doctor.
 

thtr4me

New member
I know the lap belt only situation is not ideal, but I am glad that the exemption does exist, although maybe a higher weight limit would be good. We have an older vehicle that is not shoulder belt retrofittable (is that even a word?) and eventually we will have to move from a harness seat to the lap belt on the occasions that we use that vehicle. But until that point, we have both boys in 5pt harness seats in that vehicle.

I am really happy about all the changes though, and hope to see more parents properly restraining their children.
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
I'd love for it to be changed to 65 lbs or even 50, but yeah, likely won't happen. It was enough work to get a definition of properly fitted in there.
 

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