Parents with kids under 8 years of age may need to pull out their child’s old car booster seat or buy a new one, if a new bill on child safety seat rules passes in Texas.

Currently, only children under 5 years old and shorter than 36 inches are required to be in child safety restraints, but most children outgrow the height requirement by the time they are 3 years old.

Texas Senate Bill 61 would raise the requirement to include children under 8 years old or 4 feet 9 inches. (That height requirement matches the NTSB safety recommendations.)

For a listing of safety seat recommendations for children, the American Academy of Pediatrics has a great online guide. Prices for boosters, unlike more expensive car seats, tend to sell for $40 or less.

In car accidents, children ages four to eight years restrained by an adult seat belt are more likely to suffer severe head, spinal cord, and internal organ injuries than those in booster seats. Booster seats reduce the risk of these injuries by 59 percent, according to the experts.

The new law is intended to reduce personal injuries from car accidents like the one that killed 6 year-old Molly Cieminski in McKinney, Texas.

Unfortunately, despite ever-improving safety measures, auto accidents happen every day in our local communities such as McKinney, Plano, and Richardson, Texas. Many cause serious injuries and even death. If you have been involved in an automobile accident in McKinney, Texas, Plano, Texas, or Richardson, Texas, or the surrounding areas, an experienced-local injury attorney can help you.

Our Personal Injury law firm offers free initial legal consultations on accident and injury cases. If you have been injured, you should contact a Texas personal injury lawyer immediately so that you will know what insurance coverage is in place and so that you can take steps to protect your legal rights.