Assembly Passes Mullin's Child Passenger Safety Bill

SACRAMENTO – The Assembly has passed AB 881, authored by Assemblymember Gene Mullin (D-South San Francisco), and sponsored by the California Coalition for Children’s Safety and Health, which requires booster seat protection for children until the age of 8 unless they are 4’9” or taller. 

"I reintroduced AB 881 because booster seats are an affordable and easy way to protect our vulnerable six and seven year old children from the leading cause of death," Assemblymember Mullin said. "As the father of two and grandfather of three, I know how important it is to keep our children safe while riding in a car.  It is imperative that we provide parents with the most accurate safety practices that meet federal recommendations to protect these vulnerable 6 and 7 year olds.  A study, with eight years of crash data, by State Farm Insurance Companies and The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, shows that children in states that have passed booster seat laws were much more likely to be properly restrained for their age and size at the time of a crash than children in states that have no laws mandating booster seat use.”

Existing Child Passenger Safety laws require children six years or younger and weighing less than 60 pounds be transported in an approved child safety seat in the rear seat of the vehicle.  AB 881 requires children to remain in booster seats in the back seat an additional two years until their 8^th birthday, unless they are 4’9” in height or taller. The requirements of this proposal mirror the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Transportation Safety Board, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  

To date, 39 states (including Washington , D.C. ) have some form of a booster seat law.  In many states, Safe Kids coalitions were actively involved in advocacy efforts to upgrade their child restraint law.  Please note that the laws generally  require some older children to ride properly restrained in a booster seat, secured by the motor vehicle’s safety belt system.  Of these 39 states, 23 are stricter than California ’s current law.

AB 881 now goes to the Senate.

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