Legislation to extend the age that children are required to ride in booster seat to the age of six-years-old has received support.

Currently under Florida law children must be five-years-old before they can be strapped into a seat in the standard way.

Senator Keith Perry has received backing from the Senate Children, Families, and Elder Affairs Committee for the new legislation.

“Seat belts are not designed for children, and extending the protection of booster seats is a common sense safety measure that will help protect Florida’s most vulnerable passengers,” Senator Perry said.

“I look forward to working with Representative Beltran on this transformative piece of legislation that aims to protect children from serious injury and save countless lives.”

Despite the legislation recommending increasing the age by one year, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends that children remain in booster seats until a seat belt can be worn properly, which occurs when an individual reaches 57 inches, the average height of eight-year-olds.