Children who have outgrown forward facing toddler seats need to transition into booster seats.

The adult belt system in vehicles will not typically fit a child properly until they are at least 4'9" tall.

Bob Wall, Law Enforcement Liaison for the Virginia Association of the Chiefs of Police, has been involved in traffic safety for more than twenty years, and has seen too many parents rush to get their children out of safety seats too early.

"Unfortunately, people try to graduate their children too soon. In all the phases. From infant seats they try to put them in a toddler [seats] too soon, and then the biggest offenders are the ones that go from toddler [seats] right to seat belts and they don't use the booster seat, and that booster seat's designed to make that adult seat belt fit that child like it is designed to fit," said Wall.

As the Trauma Medical Director at Winchester Medical Center, Dr. Gregory Stanford has seen too many children unnecessarily injured in crashes.

"Even one is way too many. The more we can encourage people to use these seats to protect their children, the less chance people like me will have to take care of these poor sick kids," said Stanford.

Children are ready to use an adult safety belt when they can sit all the way back in the vehicle seat, their knees bend naturally at the seat edge, the lap belt sits low on the hips and the shoulder strap lies on the shoulder and not the neck.

"They get into a car and the car is designed for an adult. An adult buys the car. An adult drives the car, and an adult needs to protect the children," said Wall.

For more information on child passenger safety click on the links below: