State law question

Mommy2Marcus

New member
Ok here are the Alabama state laws for child passenger safety:
Child Passenger Safety Law (Alabama)

Law Summary
Alabama’s law requires children ages 5 & under to be transported in a child passenger restraint system.

Children are required to use a rear-facing child safety seat until they are at least 1 year of age or weigh 20 pounds.

Children are required to use a forward-facing child safety seat until they are at least 5 years of age or weigh 40 pounds.

Children are required to use a booster seat until they are 6 years of age.

I am wondering am I reading this properly? Is it saying that as soon as a child turns 6 years old that they no longer have to ride in a booster anymore? Or that they have to be in a booster until they are age 7?

I am floored with the fact of how crappy the laws are. No minimum height, no nothing like that, just an age. Marcus will NOT be moving out of his seat anytime soon, so no worries there. Just wondering if I am reading the laws right. If so I am very sad & mad. :(
 
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LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician
I'm reading that to say that once a child turns 6, s/he no longer needs a child restraint.

However, I would suggest finding the actual verbiage of the law. Summaries are often too oversimplified and not necessarily correct.
 

thekatie

New member
I was curious and looked up the actual statute, and the summary is pretty close to word for word.

"(b) The size appropriate restraint system required for a child in subsection (a) shall include all of the following:
"(1) Infant only seats and convertible seats used in the rear facing position for infants until at least one year of age or 20 pounds.
"(2) Convertible seats in the forward position or forward facing seats until the child is at least five years of age or 40 pounds.
"(3) Booster seats until the child is six years of age.
"(4) Seat belts until 15 years of age.
-- from http://dps.alabama.gov/Documents/Documents/ChildPassengerRestraintLaw.pdf (sorry, I don't know how to do the short links in the app)

To me, that does say that a child can go out of a booster, per state law, when (s)he turns 6. Happy birthday, lets ditch the booster :/

I also don't like the "1 year OR 20 pounds". I know quite a few 20 pound 8-10 month olds.
 

kellief11

New member
Ha! My state says at age four they don't have to be in any type of child seat, but they better Click It or Ticket (the adult seatbelt), because we care so much about car safety here. :rolleyes:
 

Qarin

New member
There's hope: that was California's law (6 years or 60lbs, so actually worse since a 60lb 4 or 5year old could be out of a booster) until just this year (it went to 8years or 4'9" on 1/1/12).
 

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants
I also don't like the "1 year OR 20 pounds". I know quite a few 20 pound 8-10 month olds.

Actually, your state also requires that carseats be used "properly": almost all seats require at least 1 year AND 20 (or more) pounds to be properly used forward-facing.
 

thekatie

New member
carseatcoach said:
Actually, your state also requires that carseats be used "properly": almost all seats require at least 1 year AND 20 (or more) pounds to be properly used forward-facing.

I'm in Tennessee. It does say we have to use them properly, but it also says any child under the age of one or any child not yet 20 pounds must be rear facing. I haven't gone through every state's laws (just states we've been in, traveled to), but I think TN has some pretty good child restraint laws, compared to some other states I have looked up.
 

Mommy2Marcus

New member
I'm reading that to say that once a child turns 6, s/he no longer needs a child restraint.

However, I would suggest finding the actual verbiage of the law. Summaries are often too oversimplified and not necessarily correct.

That was dirrectly off of the Safe Kids site. :) So I figured it was pretty close to correct & I had looked it up several other times & it has always said out at 6. :( Boo.

I was curious and looked up the actual statute, and the summary is pretty close to word for word.

"(b) The size appropriate restraint system required for a child in subsection (a) shall include all of the following:
"(1) Infant only seats and convertible seats used in the rear facing position for infants until at least one year of age or 20 pounds.
"(2) Convertible seats in the forward position or forward facing seats until the child is at least five years of age or 40 pounds.
"(3) Booster seats until the child is six years of age.
"(4) Seat belts until 15 years of age.
-- from http://dps.alabama.gov/Documents/Documents/ChildPassengerRestraintLaw.pdf (sorry, I don't know how to do the short links in the app)

To me, that does say that a child can go out of a booster, per state law, when (s)he turns 6. Happy birthday, lets ditch the booster :/

I also don't like the "1 year OR 20 pounds". I know quite a few 20 pound 8-10 month olds.

Thanks for looking that up for me! Seems the Safe Kids pretty much took it word for word. Yes, at the age of 6 kids can ditch the booster here. Ugh, this should be fun for when Marcus has friends ride with us, guess I will keep a spare backless handy.

I'm in Tennessee. It does say we have to use them properly, but it also says any child under the age of one or any child not yet 20 pounds must be rear facing. I haven't gone through every state's laws (just states we've been in, traveled to), but I think TN has some pretty good child restraint laws, compared to some other states I have looked up.

Yes, TN laws are better than alot of laws. They require a child to be age 8 or 4'9 before a child is out of a booster. My ex & my BF both live in TN, so I go there over the line often, so I also looked up the laws there to. So for the purpose of that alone, well Marcus needs a booster. ;) But either way he NEEDS a booster to be safe.
 

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