Ohio tightens up on child booster-seat law this week

The law was signed in January, but implementation was delayed.

By Marc Kovac

COLUMBUS — A new state law set to take effect this week will require more Ohio youngsters to be buckled into safety seating while on the road.

The booster-seat requirement, a first for Ohio, starts Wednesday and requires children younger than 8 and shorter than 4 feet 9 inches to be strapped into booster seats while traveling in vehicles. That’s a change from current law, which requires car seats for youths younger than 4 or weighing less than 40 pounds. Booster seats have not been required.

Car seats are usually separate units with straps and buckles. They’re strapped into vehicles, and children are buckled into the seats.

Boosters generally do not have their own straps. They’re designed to boost, or lift, children while they’re sitting in a car so that the shoulder strap of a car’s seat belt will fit properly across their chest, said Sgt. Richard Reeder, a spokesman for the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

Lawmakers passed legislation on the issue late last year, and Gov. Ted Strickland signed it into law in January. But its effective date was delayed by nine months, and lawmakers included an additional six-month grace period during which violators will be issued warnings by law enforcement instead of tickets or citations. Reeder said the extra time will give drivers a chance to learn about the new law and make the required changes.

“We’re concerned about vehicle safety, and we want to make sure everyone is aware of the law change,” he said.

There are two exemptions to the new booster requirement: in life-threatening situations where buckling a youngsters into a booster is not practical, or in cases where physicians or licensed chiropractors provide affidavits that booster use is physically impossible because of physical impairment.

Violators are subject to misdemeanor charges and $25-$75 in fines, though the offense will be considered secondary (meaning parents or guardians cannot be pulled over by law enforcement for booster offenses alone).

The former car-seat requirements for younger children remains a primary offense, however, Reeder said.