It was politically arduous to toughen the state’s child-safety seat law to include booster seats for older kids this year, so the new law may not be an easy sell with parents either when it kicks in July 1. But yet-another study has just backed up state lawmakers: Looking at data from 1998 to 2003 involving nearly 9,000 children, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia concluded that kids 2 to 6 were 28 percent less likely to die in car crashes if they were in the backseat buckled either in a car seat or a booster seat rather than in a seat belt.
It was already the law to buckle up these kids. Kansas has just updated what it considers the age-appropriate restraint to reflect such research: 4- through 7-year-olds need to ride in booster seats if they weigh 80 pounds or less or are shorter than 4-foot-9.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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13 Comments
We will see how good parents are.
How nice, another study (ad) declairing what a wonderful thing it was to shift the cost of correcting vehicle defects from the manufacturer to the owner. Interesting that nowhere in Rhonda’s aditorial does it mention that the “study” was paid for by non other than our own govoner’s boss, “State Farm Insurance”.
Why in the world did the Wichita CITY council yesterday vote on upholding (or whatever it was) the booster seat law? Aren’t traffic laws a state mandate?
Seems like a waste of time patting themselves on the back like they actually DID something.
raptor – the reason for the City action is that when you get a ticket in the City you are citied with a violation of a city ordiannce rather than a state law. For example, seat belt is City Ordinance 11.38.285(b). The reason for this is that the City can then get the revenue for IT’s coffers.
Ben is exactly right.
Thanks for the info! Obviously, I am not familiar with Kansas laws. I am not aware of other states operating that way.
Thanks!
So the state has to step in once again and decide what is good parenting. Now the city decides that they should step in and make money off of it. What’s next? If the city was so big on this idea why didn’t they do it themselves?
You are going to find a lot of parents that are not aware of this new law get tickets. You will also have a lot of children that do not want to be in a “baby seat” as they will view it. Let parents be parents.
This law goes into effect on 7/1/06. However for 1 year after that until 7/1/07 the violators can receive warnings (not actual tickets unless the city already has an ordinance).
It’s not that simple sotheysaid. You see, the insurance industry already mandated the creation of laws requiring the use of air bags. Air bags that are known to kill children in accidents unless they are tall enough to not be smothered by the bag, or, of sufficient weight for their bodies to self extract through inertia. This of course is detrimental to profits, and defeats their intended purpose from jump street. Claims would have to be paid and god forbid, lawsuits might follow.Since the solution to the problem is simply to make the seat raise above the danger level, it is unacceptable because the 20 dollar feature would cut into the profits of the automobile manufacturers. The association of automobile dealers is one of the largest contributors to our elected official’s standard of living, so the only reasonable solution is to shift the cost, (and blame) directly onto the customer and parents who are now required to spend an additional 200.00 for a new, larger booster seat for older children.Isn’t the marriage of corporation and government a wonderful thing.
As a mother, I agree that children should be safely restrained in moving vehicles. With that said, however, I would like to comment on what I foresee as a HUGE problem. Let’s say, for instance, that I get a call from a neighbor who asks me to pick up her son from school because she can’t make it in time. Am I going to risk getting a ticket because I don’t have a safety seat for that child? What about driving for school field trips? How will THAT work?Given that millions of children are riding in school buses every day WITHOUT SEAT BELTS, doesn’t this new law seem like overkill? Most 80 lb. children are fine with regular seat belts. And what about small adults? Are they also required to sit in booster seats?
To answer your question Gertie, yes you will get a ticket and be branded a bad parent. Heaven forbid, if you have a wreck and are caught that way. Your insurance company will not be liable, and eventually after enough publicity the SRS and other speical interests will see to it you are charged with additional crimes. If the KDOC has their way, you will be sent to one of their facilities to work for the private corporations they now rent public property too, and provide inmate labor for. Fret not, while incarcerated taxpayers will provide your healthcare expenses and the administration will cut you a break and allow you to keep 35.00 per month of your earnings. (45.00 if you want pictures to send home!) When your sentence is up, you will be handed off to the new breaucracy headed by none other than Mad Maggie (Margie Phelps) for re-intergration programming for a period of 12 to 18 months where you will be indoctrinated into the JEHT foundation’s idea of social justice, open borders and better institutional living. If you successfully please both your parole officer and JEHT community supervisor you may once again be deemed suitable for unsupervised civilian living.
Oh yeah, the law already provides for having large numbers of children. It doesn’t apply if you have enough of them.Also, all busses will be fitted with seatbelts after 2007, however since no one has legislated air bags as of yet, there is no need for anything to protect them from the protector.
Child seats are not just for airbags. The fact is that the regular seat belt system does not work well with small children. I am 100% in favor of the extra restraint systems.
That said, as a grandparent I am also familiar with Gertie’s concern. While it is definitely less safe to carry a kid in just the belts that might be the only way in certain situations. My advice is to have the kid seat go with the kid and then I can put it into the vehicle when I put the kid in.
Silly nanny state. It’s always interesting to discuss where legislation comes from, but I have to say the obvious.
If they really wanted to keep kids from dieing in cars, why not ban kids from even being in automobiles?