"Minnesota children under age 8 and shorter than 4 feet 9 inches tall must be in a child safety seat or booster seat, effective July 1. Under the booster law, children cannot use a seat belt alone until they are age 8 or 4 feet 9 inches tall — whichever comes first. To ensure child safety, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) recommends parents keep children in a booster based on their height, rather than their age," according to a news release.

The release said:

Only 30 percent of Minnesota children use boosters. In the last five years in Minnesota, 2004–2008, 18 children passengers ages 4­–8 were killed in crashes and 3,047 were injured.

"Booster seats lift a child up allowing for proper seat belt fit — the lap belt low and snug across the hips and the shoulder belt snug across the middle of the chest. Typically children around age 4 and more than 40 pounds are ready for a booster, upon outgrowing a forward-facing child safety seat. Before the law takes effect, DPS officials are reminding parents and caregivers to secure a booster seat for children to be in compliance with the law. A booster seat citation is more than $100," the release said.

The booster law further strengthens the state’s motor vehicle occupant protection laws, along with the primary seat belt law that went into effect June 9. The primary law means drivers and all passengers must be belted or in a child restraint to avoid being stopped and ticketed by law enforcement.

The following were listed as the most common child passenger safety mistakes:

* Turning a child from a rear-facing restraint to a forward-facing restraint too soon.

* Restraint is not secured tight enough — it should not shift more than one inch side-to-side or out from the seat.

* Harness on the child is not tight enough — if you can pinch harness material, it’s too loose.

* Retainer clip is up too high or too low — should be at the child’s armpit level.

* The child is in the wrong restraint — don’t rush your child into a seat belt.

Visit www.buckleupkids.state.mn.us for more information.