Florida is a beautiful state which is home to some pretty bad car seat laws. Many people assume that lawmakers put laws, such as car seat laws, in place to help keep children safe. Yet in 2021 children 6 & over are allowed to get out of their booster seat.
Putting age limits on booster seats is ridiculous because it has been scientifically proven that kids should be 57″ tall and weigh 80-100lbs to move on to sitting in a car without a booster seat. That’s because kids shorter than 57″ tall not in a booster seat often suffer severe abdominal, head and spine injuries in an impact.
That said, in general many 8yr olds at 4’9 and 80+lbs.
In 2021, some lawmakers are attempted to get 6yr olds into booster seats. I
n March 2021, senators unanimously approved the bill (SB 380) adding 6-year-olds to that requirement.
In the House, the bill is called HB 297. Unfortunately, lawmakers let this bill die in April 2021.
Hopefully this bill is reintroduced in 2022. It has bipartisan support and would be absolutely ridiculous not to pass.
If you’re looking to keep your kids safe, a good resource is this page on car seat safety laws and places to get a free car seat checkup, thanks to Tampa’s Rhino Lawyers.