Booster up!

California’s new child safety seat law is now in effect. The new rules shift the focus from a child’s weight to a child’s height.

Orange County Register File Photo

California used to allow children to ride in adult seats once they turned 6 and reached a certain weight, but too many children were slipping through the seatbelts and ending up in the hospital.

A few weeks ago, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles reported a child thrown 35 feet through the windshield, out of the car.

The new law, which took effect Jan. 1, means kids must be at least 4-foot-9 or 8 years old before they can ditch the booster.

The booster seat raises the child to the height of an adult, which is who the seatbelts are designed to fit.

Parents caught not complying with the new law face a $475 ticket.  Buckle and Booster up!