House Bill 233 would extend measures for kids in car seats and booster seats from ages three to eight.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Florida lawmakers are working to tighten safety measures when it comes to kids in cars with car seats, an effort to save more lives. 

House Bill 233 would require kids to use a booster seat through age eight, but there are a few caveats. Safety advocates are hoping this law will remind parents that car seats aren’t just for babies.

Eighty-five kids died in crashes in 2022, and nearly half of them weren’t wearing any type of restraint, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

“This is traumatic for families,” said Safe Kids of Northeast Florida Prevention Coordinator Jessica Winberry. “Sometimes, families say they didn’t know they should be in a booster seat.”

In Florida, current law requires newborns to three-year-olds to be in a car seat and kids ages four and five to be either in a car seat or booster seat; However, a new law making its way through the state legislature would extend the requirement to eight-year-olds unless:

The child is taller than four feet nine inches.The child is being ‘transported gratuitously’ by someone outside of the child’s immediate family.The child is involved in a medical emergency.The child has a medical condition and can’t be in a restraint device.

 Winberry says it’s important not to put kids in a regular seat belt prematurely.

“What you’ll notice here when a child does not fit or is not four feet, nine inches, this shoulder portion of the seat belt goes across the neck, when it should be across the chest. The lap portion is coming across the belly, which could cause internal organs to become injured,” said Winberry. “Also, something many parents see. When the seatbelt isn’t on correctly and is uncomfortable, kids will pull the seatbelt around their back, and if a crash occurs, their body folds forward and can cause severe injury and even death… What’s important is to keep the kids in the proper age-appropriate, size-appropriate device as long as possible.”

If the new child restraint requirements law passes, it would take effect on July 1.

For parents concerned about the cost of car seats, there are programs offering free or reduced-cost car seats.

Safe Kids Northeast Florida has a low cost car seat program and even offers free car seat checks with safety technicians to make sure your kids are properly buckled up in the car.