I’m sure anyone reading this blog has fond childhood memories of frolicking to and fro inside a parent’s moving car, goofing off with a sibling or friend our age from the backseat or station wagon “trunk” to the front seat to the floor of the car and over the backs of the seats again. My judge even has memories of his teenage self taking off fast and slamming the brakes of his old Woody and laughing with his older brother as their youngest brother tumbled from where he stood behind their front seats to the rear of the car. (The kid brother is fine and is not traumatized by their horseplay.) In California, it has gone from that, to a law in my teens requiring seat belts to be fastened on all occupants of the vehicle, to another law saying all kids under age 6 and under 60 lbs had to ride in the backseat on a child booster seat, to this new change, effective January 1, 2012:

Any child under age *8* must ride in a child booster seat in the backseat. If the child is 8 years old or at least 4’9″, however, he/she can use a regular seat belt instead of a child safety seat or booster seat.
Violations mean stiff fines and penalties, and possible child endangerment criminal charges.

This is based on stats that show putting kids in a booster seat (instead of a seat belt on the vehicle’s seat alone) reduces risk of car accident injuries to that kid by 59%. Seat belts are designed for an average-sized adult, so it doesn’t lay right on a kid under 4’9″. Supposedly, the previous law endangers kids between ages 6 and 8 because they’re too big for child safety seats, but still too small for a seat belt to work effectively, so the new law bridges the gap by requiring the booster seat use until age 8. (Wanna read the actual law? See www.chp.ca.gov/community/safeseat.html)

Age 8 is 3rd grade. That’s old enough to be embarrassed. So what does this mean for a kid like Allie? …It means that she’ll be sitting in a regular seat using a regular seat belt by age 6.

99th percentile for height! She’s practically 3 feet tall NOW at 4.5 months.

They DO grow up so fast.