Vehicle/Child Safety Seats in Missouri

A friend and I were talking about how to know when to move a child from one sort of seat in the car to another. It was confusing to us having heard the law but not having it in front of us. I thought I would post it as I know my readers would want the information:

Missouri Booster Seat Law: Effective August 28, 2006
(copied and pasted directly from: http://www.dhss.mo.gov/Injuries_in_Missouri/BoosterSeat.html on July 6, 2010)


Injury and Violence Prevention
Missouri’s Child Passenger Restraint new law requires children who have outgrown a child safety seat to be secured in a booster seat while traveling in a motor vehicle.
The new law now requires:
*Children less than 4 years old or less than 40 pounds to be in an appropriate child safety seat.
*Children age 4 and older to be secured in a booster seat until they turn 8 years old, unless they reach 80 pounds or 4’9” before that birthday; and
*Children weighing more than 80 pounds or taller than 4’9” are required to be secured by a vehicle safety belt or booster seat appropriate for that child.

However the best practice is to assure children remain in a booster seat until they reach a height of 4’9”. The fine for violating this law is $50 plus court costs, which far exceeds the cost of many booster seats. This legislation is expected to save the lives of more than 30 children a year, and is expected to reduce a child’s risk of injury by 59 percent. For more information visit: http://www.nhtsa.gov/portal/site/nhtsa/menuitem.9f8c7d6359e0e9bbbf30811060008a0c/
http://www.savemolives.com/
http://www.senate.mo.gov/06info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R%20&BillID=24259

Disclaimer: The above information is taken directly from the Missouri Department for Health and Senior Services webpage. This blog and the blog's author and affiliates do not assume any responsibility for the accuracy of the information.  Interested parties should visit the MO DHSS webpage periodically to verify that the information is still correct and current and should check with your local fire or police department for additional guidance.