PIKESVILLE, Md. (AP) — Maryland State Police are reminding motorists that a change in the state’s child safety seat law will remove a weight exemption.

The change in the law takes effect on Monday. The change removes the exemption that children weighing more than 65 pounds could ride in an automobile without a safety seat. The law will now require children under 8 years old to be in a safety seat unless they are 4 feet 9 inches or taller.

State police say National Highway Traffic Safety Administration figures show car crashes are the number one killer of children in the United States.

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