KDHE Home - News 2000 - News Release
Kansas
Department of Health & Environment
Bill Graves, Governor
Clyde D. Graeber, Secretary
For Immediate Release
Contact: Jan Stegelman, 785-296-1223
Child Restraint Laws Allow Kids to Fall Through the Cracks
SAFE KIDS Reminds Families to Buckle Up
Labor Day weekend not only signals the end of summer, but it marks the end of one of the busiest travel periods. Sunscreen, first aid kits and cell phones are among the travel aids that parents bring along to ensure safety on vacation. However, as families are packing up for day trips or heading to vacation spots, emergency room staff are preparing for children injured in car crashes because they were not properly secured or riding completely unrestrained in car seats or safety belts.
Unfortunately, usage rates of car seats and safety belts are disturbingly low. Strong occupant protection laws are a proven way to get children and adults to buckle up. Although Kansas has a primary child restraint law, gaps in coverage leave children of certain ages open to possible injury. One of the biggest gaps involves kids between 40 and 80 pounds (approximately ages 4 through 8).
Autumn Alexander is all too familiar with the tragedies that can occur when parents are unaware of the gaps in their state laws. In the summer of 1997 Autumn and her son, Anton, were driving in the mountains while vacationing in Washington state. When a strong side wind sent their car spinning out of control, the vehicle flipped over several times. Although he had been wearing his safety belt at the time, 4-year-old Anton was ejected from the vehicle during the crash. Tragically, he died instantly of massive head injuries. Autumn, a journalist who often wrote about safety issues, was unaware of the necessity of a booster seat for her 42-pound son. Anton was simply too small to ride restrained only by an adult lap and shoulder belt. She blames, in part, the fact that Washington State's child occupant protection law did not require children over 40 pounds to ride in a booster seat. Like many parents, Autumn had gone "by the book" and by the law when it came to the safety of her children. Unfortunately, the law failed to indicate the risk.
On March 28, 2000, thanks to Autumn's hard work and passion, Washington State Governor Gary Locke signed a bill requiring booster seats for kids between 40 and 60 pounds. As Washington State becomes the first state to pass a booster seat law, studies show that 95 percent of kids who should ride in booster seats don't, putting them at tremendous risk of injury or death in the event of a crash. In addition to laws being instituted in states, education will also be paramount to ensuring kids ride in booster seats.
"Unfortunately, parents aren't able to rely on laws to tell us what is safe for our kids," said Jan Stegelman, Coordinator, Kansas SAFE KIDS Coalition. "Parents don't know about booster seats and most laws say that parents can move their child out of a car seat into a seat belt at four years old. We know this is simply not safe and our laws need to do a better job of informing parents and protecting children."
Despite the fact that most child occupant protection laws allow a child to graduate from a car seat to an adult safety belt once they reach 4 years and 40 pounds, the Kansas SAFE KIDS Coalition and other public health groups urge parents to use a booster seat. The booster seat raises a child up so that the lap/shoulder belt fits them correctly.
Children need to be in a booster seat if:
· They are between 40 and 80 pounds;
· Their legs do not comfortably bend over the seat;
· The shoulder belt cuts across their face or neck; or
· The lap belt rides up over their abdomen
The Kansas SAFE KIDS Coalition recommends the following tips for riding safely in the car:
· Restrain all children in their appropriate car seat, booster seat or seat belt on every trip.
· Place kids between approximately 40 and 80 pounds in a booster seat.
· Never put shoulder belts under kids' arms or behind their backs. This could result in serious injuries in the event of a crash.
· Never boost kids with pillows, books or towels. These won't keep kids safe in a crash.
· If your car's seat back is lower than the child's ears, use a high-back booster seat. If your car's seat back is higher than the child's ears, use a no-back booster seat.
· Put kids in the back seat. Children are 36 percent less likely to die in a crash when restrained in the back.
Infant Seats/Convertible Seats. Infants should ride in rear facing, infant-only seats or convertible seats until at least one year of age AND at least 20 pounds.
Forward-facing Car Seats. Forward-facing restraints can be used until children are about 4 years old and 40 pounds.
Booster Seats. Booster seats are for children who have outgrown a convertible seat and are not big enough to correctly use a seat belt. Booster-weight children are between approximately 40 and 80 pounds, and are usually between 4 and 8 years old. A booster seat protects a child from serious spinal cord and internal injuries caused by incorrect safety belt use.
Seat Belts. Children who have outgrown booster seats should use a lap/shoulder belt. Ensure that the lap belt fits across the child's hips and does not ride up across the stomach. The shoulder belt should fit across the center of the shoulder and not across the face or neck.
The Kansas SAFE KIDS Coalition, Inc. is a nonprofit group of 67 statewide organizations and businesses that have joined to protect Kansas children from unintentional injury -- the leading killer of Kansas kids. Local coalitions and chapters are located in Barber, Clay, Ford, Johnson, Osage, Pottawatomie, and Shawnee Counties, as well as Hutchinson, Lawrence, Leavenworth, Manhattan, Norton, Salina, and Wichita. Kansas SAFE KIDS is part of the National SAFE KIDS Campaign.
-30-