Minnesota has strengthened its child passenger safety law by requiring a child who is both under age 8 and shorter than 4 feet 9 inches to be fastened in a child safety seat or booster. Under this law, a child cannot use a seat belt alone until they are age eight or four feet nine inches tall. It is recommended to keep a child in a booster based on their height, rather than their age.  Boosters are seat lifts that help raise a child up so a seat belt fits properly. Kids that are shorter than 4 feet 9 inches aren’t ready to use a seat belt alone. Poor belt fit can contribute to death or serious injury — including ejection, internal decapitation and serious abdominal damage. A sign a belt does not fit properly is if it rubs against a child’s neck, or the child tucks the belt behind their back.

Booster Seat Facts
• Effective July 1 a child who is both under age eight and shorter than four feet nine inches is required to be fastened in a child safety seat that meets federal safety standards. Under this law, a child cannot use a seat belt alone until they are age eight or four feet nine inches tall. It is recommended to keep a child in a booster based on their height, rather than their age.
• Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages 4–16 (American Academy of Pediatrics).
•  The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children ride in a booster seat until they are between 8–12 years old and are at least four feet nine inches tall.
•  Booster seats raise the child up so that the adult lap belts are positioned to fit low and snug across the hips and the shoulder belt to fit snug across the middle of the chest to provide the necessary protection in a crash. 
•  Adult seat belts do not properly fit children until they are at least four feet nine inches tall, usually between eight to twelve years old.  Until then, the lap belt tends to ride high on a child’s stomach, which can cause serious abdominal injuries in a crash.  In addition, children often put the shoulder belt behind them because it’s uncomfortable. This can cause serious spine and neck injuries (2007 Partners for Child Passenger Safety Fact & Trend Report).
•  A recent national study revealed that children ages four to seven  involved in car crashes and using booster seats sustained no abdominal or neck injuries. (American Medical Association and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia).
•  For children 4–7 years old, booster seats reduce injury risk by 59 percent compared to seat belts alone (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia).
 
Minnesota Booster Seat Facts
• Minnesota State Statute (169.685) requires a child who is both under age 8 and shorter than 4 feet 9 inches to be required to be fastened in a child safety seat that meets federal safety standards. Under this law, a child cannot use a seat belt alone until they are age 8 or 4 feet 9 inches tall. It is recommended to keep a child in a booster based on their height, rather than their age.
• 70 percent of Minnesota children ages 4–8 are riding either unbelted or not in a properly fitted booster seat (Wirthlin Worldwide Research Firm).
•  In 2008, 454 children ages 4–7 were injured in traffic crashes — 63 percent of those victims were either unrestrained or only wearing lap and shoulder belts.
•  In Minnesota, vehicle occupants ages 4–7 in lap and shoulder belts but not a booster seat were two and a half times more likely to be injured than those in properly installed booster seats.
•  During 2005–2008 in Minnesota, 10 children ages 4–7 were vehicle occupants killed in crashes — nine of those victims were not properly restrained in a booster seat or child safety seat.