Parents in South Carolina have a new law to follow to keep their kids safe in the car.
South Carolina lawmakers approved changes to the Child Passenger Safety Act that factor in age, weight and height for booster seats and car seats.
[READ: Child Passenger Restraint bill]
Age is no longer the milestone for when kids are sitting forward in their car seats in South Carolina. The governor signed a new law last week that increases the minimum age to 2. Rear-facing in a car seat until 2 years old was the rule for parent Alice Davis.
"I just decided if it was safer. That's what I wanted to do," said Davis. "So we kept her backwards until she was about 2."
Lawmakers also changed South Carolina’s Child Passenger Safety Act so that height, weight and seat-maker instructions determine when children can go forward-facing in a car seat. They can graduate to a booster seat as long as they’re at least 4 years old and have outgrown the car seat.
There are also four requirements for children in order for them to ditch a booster seat. They have to be 8 years old, the seat belt can’t come up above their thighs, the shoulder belt crosses the center of their chest, and their knees bend at the edge of the seat.
"We watch for that strap," explained Davis. "If you don't have a car that takes the strap down here and it's going over across your neck, then that's dangerous."
Robert White, with Piedmont Medical Center emergency medical services, applauded the changes. He's been a certified technician for properly installing seats for kids for years. He said South Carolina's bold step will benefit parents who often don't use the seats correctly.
"Cars are made for adults. Seat belts are made for adults, not children,” White said. “That's why we need these extra devices to make sure our precious cargo, our children, ride safely."
Child safety experts said these tougher changes are now more in-line with what doctors have long recommended.
Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com:
- Gunfire erupts while CMPD search for killer in west Charlotte
- VIDEO: Dramatic scene unfolds while police investigate homicide
- Alligator spotted in Clover likely pet released into wild, experts say
- Tenn. mother heartbroken after finding 6-month-old son's casket floating in water
- CMPD investigating 4 homicides over Memorial Day weekend
- WATCH: Keith Monday's Tuesday forecast outlook
Cox Media Group
