What’s holding children back? New Ohio booster seat law now in effect

  • By Jennifer R. Demuth of The Bargain Hunter
  • October 8, 2009
  • 737
                        
Most parents are aware that, by law, babies and small children must ride in a car seat. However, many caregivers don’t realize that numerous school-age children need special seats as well. To prevent major vehicle accident injuries in young children, Ohio’s new child passenger safety law went into effect Oct. 7, and parents of children younger than 8 must have the right seats to hold children back. According to the new child restraint law, children younger than 8, unless they are at least 4 feet 9 inches tall, must use a booster seat. Dr. Alvin Jackson, M.D., Ohio Department of Health director, said this new law (combined with existing laws requiring children younger than 4 and less than 40 pounds to use a child safety seat; and children 8 to 15 to use a safety seat or seat belt) will make traveling safer for Ohio’s children. “Seat belts were designed for adults, not children,” he explained. Law enforcement personnel will issue warnings at this time, and full enforcement will begin April 7, 2010, with fines ranging from $25 to $75 per violation. Patty Maag, occupant protection specialist from the Tuscarawas County Health Department and the local Safe Kids Coalition, noted that the law was necessary since there is a high number of child abdominal and spinal injuries resulting from vehicle accidents where children were wearing adult seat belts. “Children are not ready to fit in just a seat belt until they can sit with their backs flush against the vehicle seat back and bend their knees over the front of the seat without slouching, have the lap belt ride low across the hip bones, and the shoulder belt ride across the center of the shoulder,” she shared. When choosing a booster seat, caregivers should first make sure their child is developmentally ready to sit in the seat (booster seats are not recommended for children younger than 4). “It is safer for children to use harnessed seats as long as possible,” explained Maag. Also, booster seats must be used with both the lap belt and shoulder belt to prevent injury or ejection. Finally, parents must avoid using the wrong booster seat. Maag defined the wrong booster seat as one that “does not allow the seat belt system to ride across the strongest parts of the child’s body; midway between arm and neck, and across hip bones or upper thigh bones, or using a backless booster when the child’s ears are above the vehicle seat back (think whiplash).” Help is available through the Tuscarawas County Health Department on how to properly use booster seats or how to fit three car seats in the back seat. Parents can schedule a free check-up by calling Maag at 330-343-5555, ext. 137 or by attending the next free car seat checkup on Thursday, Oct. 22, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at New Dawn Child Care, 865 1¿2 East Iron Ave., Dover. Those who attend should bring their vehicle owner’s manual and car seat instructions. For those who cannot afford booster seats, the Ohio Buckles Buckeyes program will be distributing a limited number of seats to eligible families. For more information, call 800-755-GROW.


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