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1000 SW Jackson
Suite 230 Coordinator: Executive Committee: Dennis Cooley, MD John Drees John Halbran Jim Keating Elena Nuss Cindy Samuelson |
Booster Seat Day July 1Safe Kids provides Check-Ups and Booster Seat informationNew Kansas booster seat law goes into effect July 1Nationally Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians will provide car seat inspections and booster seat information at check-up events throughout Kansas on July 1. This is an opportunity for parents and caregivers to get free, individualized, hands-on training in the proper installation and setup of their own seats in their own vehicles. A new law, which takes effect July 1, requires children ages 4, 5, 6 and 7 who either weigh less than 80 lbs. or are shorter than 4'9" in height to be placed in booster seats. Events are scheduled in Belleville, Burlington, Garnett, Independence, Kansas City, Lawrence, Manhattan, Marion, Meade, Oskaloosa, Sterling, Topeka, Wamego, and Wichita. (a list of locations and contact persons is attached) In addition to the hands on training and education, over 600 booster seats will be distributed at the events. "I am pleased that parents and caregivers in Kansas can now rely on Kansas law to provide them with the proper guidance on how to safely transport their children," says Senator Les Donovan, Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee. The law received the support of an overwhelming number of Kansas lawmakers, from both political parties and from rural, suburban and urban areas of the state. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius signed the booster seat legislation after the Kansas Senate approved it on a vote of 36 to 4 and by the House on a vote of 90 to 29. "Because of our efforts, I am confident that more Kansas children will be protected in motor vehicle crashes," says Donovan. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for Kansas children in the 4 through 7 age range. Booster seats used properly with safety belts have been proven more effective than safety belts alone at reducing the risk of injury to children involved in a crash. "Belt-positioning booster seats help protect children who are too big for child seats but too small to use an adult seat belt. says Jan Stegelman, Coordinator of Safe Kids Kansas. "A belt-positioning booster seat raises the child up so that the seat belt fits the child's body". When securing children in a booster seat, drivers should make sure the shoulder belt is snug across the chest and rests flat across the center of the collarbone. The shoulder belt should never be placed behind a child's back or under the arm. For additional information on how to properly secure children in booster seats, visit www.kansasboosterseat.org. Two kinds of booster seats - no-back and high-back - are available at local retailers around the state. No-back booster seats, which are priced starting at around $15, should only be used in vehicles with built in head restraints. High-back booster seats range in price from $40 to $100. All currently manufactured combination child safety seats will convert to a belt-positioning booster seat, so in many cases, a new seat is not even needed. Safe Kids Kansas and local community groups will continue to work with retailers to assure that adequate supplies of reasonably priced booster seats are available to Kansas parents. The new law provides for a one-year warning period (until July 1, 2007) for the booster seat requirement to allow time to educate Kansans about the new booster belt law. The new law also provides an exemption for seating positions when there is only a lap safety belt available. The fine for violation of the Child Passenger Safety Law is $60 plus court costs. However, the law contains a provision that waives the fine if a driver provides proof to the court of an appropriate child seat/ booster seat acquisition. Safe Kids Kansas, Inc. is a nonprofit Coalition of 67 statewide organizations and businesses dedicated to preventing accidental injuries to Kansas children ages 0-14. Local coalitions and chapters are located in Allen, Anderson, Atchison, Clay, Dickinson, Doniphan, Douglas, Ellis, Ford, Franklin, Geary, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Leavenworth, Marion, Meade, Mitchell, Montgomery, Nemaha, Osage, Pottawatomie, Republic, Rice, Riley, Saline, Smith, Shawnee, Wabaunsee, Wilson and Woodson Counties, as well as the cities of Chanute, Emporia, Leavenworth, Norton, Pittsburg, the Wichita Area and the Metro Kansas City Area. Safe Kids Kansas a member of Safe Kids Worldwide, a global network of organizations whose mission is to prevent accidental childhood injury. www.kansassafekids.org www.kansasboosterseat.org
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