Experts on Thursday said between 80 and 90 percent of parents are doing something wrong when it comes to child safety restraints.
One of the biggest mistakes is letting kids graduate to a booster seat too early or for older kids, not making them use a booster seat at all.
Jenelle Joly is expecting her first child in just one week and she said well aware of how important it is that she installs her car seat correctly.
"Nowadays the hospital doesn't help install the car seat, so I wanted to come out either to the fire department or something like this to just get the correct information," Joly said.
It's especially important because on Oct. 1 some of that information will change.
Under Maryland state law, a child will be required to ride in a booster seat until he or she is 8 years old or taller than 4 feet 9 inches.
"And that's a minimum thing, the 8 years of age. Basically, we want children even when they get to that age, they should be in a booster seat until they're the right size and height so that their seat belt fits them properly as it fits you and I," said Karen Hardingham with Safe Kids Baltimore.
The old law allowed parents to let children graduate from booster seats once they weighed more than 65 pounds, but just reaching the weight limit's not enough. A crash test video from the University of Michigan shows if the seat belt fits too high the child is at risk for major injuries during an accident.
"The booster seat merely positions them up so that the lap portion comes across their hip bone or their upper thigh and the shoulder belt fits them correctly," Hardingham said.
In fact, one of the biggest mistakes parents make is letting kids graduate much too soon.
As kids get older, they might start asking not to use a booster. Experts said as attitudes slowly change, there are ways to make them more attractive.
"I got her this one and she loves it. She thinks of it as a pillow, and the fact that it's purple really does mean something to her," said Susanne Ogaitis-Jones with Maryland Institute for EMS.
"This is an easy step to take to protect your child, can't protect them from so many other things in the world, but this you can protect them from," Hardingham said.
Until you can have your car seat checked professionally experts said you should read all the instructions for both the car and the car seat to make sure you've done everything right.
There is no set law in Maryland for children sitting in the front seat, but the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends parents wait until a child is at least 13 years old, over 100 pounds and taller than 4 feet 9 inches.
If a child is borderline and the backseat is available experts said that is always the safest place for them.
http://www.wbaltv.com/news/maryland/Booster-seat-law-changes-in-Maryland/16681800