The grace period for parents to get on board with a 2010 law that requires children between the ages of 4 and 7 to ride in car booster seats expired Monday.
If a child in the designated age- and-weight bracket is not buckled into a booster, it’s a fine of at least $82 for the parents.
A year ago, Colorado law was changed to extend the age requirements for booster seats. Previously, only 4- and 5-year-old children were required to be in a booster seat.
And although the law doesn’t call for it, officials recommend that children over the age of 8 who are not at least 4 feet 9 inches tall still use a booster.
Parents tempted to throw a tantrum over the new regulation need only look to the safety statistics, officials said.
“Children ages 4 to 7 who use booster seats are 45 percent less likely to be injured in a crash compared to children who are restrained only by seat belts,” said Col. James Wolfinbarger, chief of the Colorado State Patrol, in a statement.
Without a booster, the lap belt and shoulder strap don’t work properly, he said.
“A booster seat is a safer option because it lifts the child up so that the lap belt rests across hip bones to protect internal organs, and it positions the shoulder strap so it rests across the collarbone instead of on the neck or falling off the shoulder,” Wolfinbarger said.
Fit Stations are set up at area hospitals, police stations and a handful of local businesses to help parents get the right equipment and have it properly installed. Low-income families can apply for a reduced-cost seat.
The Colorado Department of Transportation will help educate parents and help them to properly install car seats, said spokeswoman Heather Halpape.
The Arvada Fire Department does car-seat fittings seven days a week, said public-information officer Scott Pribble. The department makes sure a car seat is not part of a national recall and will install it for the parents. It also makes sure the parents know how to use the seat on their own.
“Kids may complain about being in the five-point harness or in a booster seat when their friends may not be,” Pribble said. “But it’s the parents’ jobs to keep their kids as safe as possible.”
Caitlin Gibbons: cgibbons@denverpost.com or 303-954-1368
Find a Fit Station
Parents can get help with proper installation and use of car seats and boosters by visiting or calling 303-239-4625 or 1-877-588-8687.
Why do it?
According to CDOT, 28 children between the ages of 4 and 7 died in traffic crashes from 2004 to 2008. Of those, 20 were improperly restrained, unrestrained or using only the vehicle seat belt.
