Read more: Local, State, Booster Seat, Child Safety Seat, New Colorado Law, Colorado Springs
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- A change in Colorado law may have some parents running to the store for a booster seat.
The new law takes effect Sunday.
It extends how long a child must use a booster seat in a car from 6 to 8 years old.
The law also allows cops to stop people if they see kids who aren’t properly restrained.
Booster seats raise a child up in the car so the seat belt fits them properly.
"I think anything for safety for the children is a good thing for the children I was actually surprised that their needed to be a change I didn’t know that they had such a young age limit," one parent told us.
And now that not having your kid properly restrained is a primary offense cops will be watching.
"We are looking for a child that’s at least eight years old and at least 55 inches tall that is the guidance for getting out of the booster seat," said Colorado Springs Police Sergeant Steve Noblitt.
That's what the law says but safety advocates say kids should stay in a booster seat even longer than that.
“Four foot nine inches tall some kids don’t reach that until 11 or 12 years old," Sergeant Noblitt said.
The new law also clears up some gray areas about how long to leave an infant in a rear facing safety seat.
"They need to be one and twenty pounds to get out of a rear facing car seat but if you want to leave your child rear facing longer that’s ok and according to safety advocates you should," Noblitt said.
But the new law probably wont stop some parents from ignoring safety altogether.
"I see parents letting kids ride in front seat or without a seatbelt at all," one parent said.
"Actually the other day I saw somebody riding with in infant not much older than she was in the front seat on the lap of an adult and I was just appalled," another parent said.
Safety advocates say all kids should stay in the back seat until the age of 13.
If you want more information on the new law click here.
