Hawaii's New Booster Seat Law
Chapter 286-5, HRS, establishes the Hawaii
Highway Safety Council. The Director of Transportation is
designated to serve as its chairperson.
Beginning on January 1, 2007, Hawaii will be
the 35th state to have a booster seat law. The new law will
require children between the ages of four through seven to ride
in a booster seat whenever traveling in a motor vehicle. The
only exemptions are if the child is over 4'9" or if the vehicle
has lap-only seat belts in the rear seat.
A Hawaii State tax credit of $25 per year
applies to the purchase of a booster or child safety seat.
The driver is held responsible for
compliance with the law. Violators of Hawaii’s Child Passenger
Restraint Law are required to attend a 4-hour class and may be
assessed a fine of between $100-$500 depending upon the number
of offenses. However, the most compelling reason for using a
booster seat is the safety of your child.
Basic guidelines on the proper use of
booster seats:
- Use for children between the ages of
four through seven, unless at least 4’9’’ tall.
- Use until the vehicle lap and
shoulder belt fit correctly. (The lap belt should fit low
and snug on their hips, and the shoulder belt should not
cross over a child’s face or neck.)
- Never put the shoulder belt behind a
child’s back or under their arm.
- A high back or low back booster with
no shield may be used.
Never Hold Your Infant Or Child In Your
Lap.
- A crash or sudden stop can result in
a serious injury or even a fatality.
Who should use a booster seat?
Each year, more than 700 children, between
the ages of four through seven, are involved in major car
crashes in Hawaii. Statistics show that children unrestrained by
seat belts are at least 50% more at risk for injury than
children in a child safety seat or booster seat.
The proper use of child passenger
restraints, such as a booster seat, is the most important factor
in preventing death and injury in a car crash. Seat belts are
designed for older children and adults, not for children under
the age of eight, whose size and physical development make seat
belts less effective, and in some cases, unsafe.
A child under 80 lbs. is generally too
small for an adult seat belt. The lap belt rides up over the
stomach and the shoulder belt cuts across the neck. In a crash
this can cause critical or even fatal injuries.
When children outgrow child restraints
with a harness, between 40 and 65 lbs. depending on seat weight
limit, they should be restrained in a booster seat until they
are big enough to fit in an adult seat belt (approximately 80
lbs. and 4’9’’ tall).
A child who cannot sit with his or her
back against the vehicle seat back cushion with knees bent over
the vehicle’s seat edge without slouching, should use a booster
seat — no matter what age, weight or height.
Using a booster seat can save your child’s
life.
For more information, contact the Keiki
Injury Prevention Coalition at 537-9200 or refer to their web
site at
www.KIPChawaii.org
