Gov. Jan Brewer recently signed HB 2154, commonly referred as the booster seat legislation, into law. The law will go into effect in August.
With the enactment of this bill, Arizona joins 47 states across the country that has established laws to protect older child occupants. Once HB 2154 takes effect, children under 8 years old or under 4 feet, 9 inches tall will be required to sit in a proper child safety seat, such as a booster seat, when riding in a vehicle in Arizona.
Prior to the enactment of HB 2154, state law permitted parents and caregivers to transition children from a child safety seat to an adult safety belt at the age of 5, despite overwhelming research that has shown these children aren’t properly protected. This made Arizona one of only three states without a law protecting children who are too big for a traditional car seat, but too small to be safely restrained by an adult safety belt alone. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the proper use of a safety seat can reduce a child’s fatality risk by up to 71 percent.
