Child Passenger Safety Law Updates

Two more U.S. states have updated child passenger safety laws to better protect children in the event of a crash. Hawaii's new child passenger safety law went into effect January 1, 2007, and requires booster seat use for children ages 4-7, unless the child is 4'9" tall. This is in addition to existing requirements that children under age four ride in an appropriate car seat. Effective June 1, 2007, Washington state's new car seat law also requires that children under age 8 be restrained in an appropriate car seat or booster seat, unless the child is 4'9". Washington's child passenger safety law is also known as the Anton Skeen Law, named for a little boy who died in a rollover crash because he wasn't adequately protected by an adult seatbelt, which was all that was legally required for him by age.

Has your state recently updated its car seat laws? If so, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the trend towards stronger child passenger safety laws.

• More State Car Seat Laws
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• Common Car Seat Mistakes