Voters Can Choose Safety of Kids in Auto Accidents

Posted by Eddie FarahApril 16, 2007 10:37 AM

Florida state legislators are hurrying to finish this session which ends tomorrow, Tuesday, April 17th.
Among the bills which will likely get a boost is one that requires child safety restraint seats for children as old as seven. But voters need to call their state senators and reps right away as budgetary issues may force the clock to run out on this important bill.

Car accidents are the leading cause of death for children up to the age of 14 and more kids are dying on Jacksonville roads than have to. Too often parents don't believe seatbelts for kids past the toddler stage are important. The bill would require that children who have grown out of their infant and toddler car seats be fitted into a booster seat up to the age of 7.

A booster seat is important because auto manufacturers create seat belts for adults and a booster seat puts the lap and shoulder belt in the proper place to restrain a small body during an accident. Cost is not an excuse. You can get one for as little as $15.

The Senate version of the bill is scheduled to be heard next week. If the bill becomes law, a motorist who doesn't comply could face a $60 fine and three points on his or her driver's license.

Rep. Thad Altman, a Melbourne Republican is sponsoring the bill. This time around the bill is likely to see the green light thanks to new Governor Charlie Christ which had previously been vetoes by former Governor Jeb Bush. Let's bring Florida into the 21st century and join the 37 other states which already have some form of child-restraint law for our youngsters.

Advocacy groups that have been pushing the issue for years point to statistics published in 2003 in the Journal of the American Medical Association as their greatest ally. A sampling:
• Children ages 4 to 8 using booster seats are 59 percent less likely to be injured in car accidents than those relying on seat belts.
• Appropriately restrained children are 28 percent less likely to die in a car crash.
• Car crashes are the leading cause of injury or death for children ages 1 to 14.