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Questions remain over Washington's new car seat law

Washington’s 2020 car seat law requires children to use a booster seat until they are at least 4 feet, 9 inches tall, or until they are 13 years old.

SPOKANE, Wash. — Washington’s 2020 car seat law requires children to use a booster seat until they are at least 4 feet, 9 inches tall, or until they are 13 years old.

Parents driving from Idaho into Washington have to adhere to Washington’s requirements.

The old law required children to use a booster seat only until they were 8.

Teresa Fuller, a car seat specialist with the Spokane Police Department, said the new law isn’t much different from the previous one.

“Only about 10 percent of children are actually 4 feet and 9 inches when they’re eight years old,” she said. “So raising the age to 13 just specifies about when kids will likely have grown to that height.”

Amie Mendoza’s eight-year-old daughter was excited to no longer have to sit in a booster seat.

“I told her about the new law, and she was pretty disappointed,” Mendoza said. “She’ll probably have to sit in a booster for another two years, I imagine.”

Fuller said a child’s pre-teen years are when their bones have developed to withstand more force from a possible crash.

Since the law just went into effect, officers said their main goal is to educate parents about car and booster seat safety.

“We’re not looking just to start handing out tickets, unless a child is not restrained or is clearly not riding safely,” said Sgt. Darren Wright with Washington State Patrol.

Those cases could cost drivers a fine of $139.

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