Check lane promotes new booster seat law
Safe Kids Marion County will provide a child safety seat check from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at 162 W. Main, Marion the same location as the MAC Fireworks stand.
Child safety seat checks and inspections will be provided. Booster seats are available for a small donation. Refreshments will be available.
The event is in conjunction with a new state law that goes into effect Saturday that requires children ages 4-7, who are passengers in automobiles, to ride in booster seats.
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children in that age group, and booster seats, when used properly, have been proven to be more effective than safety belts alone at reducing the risk of injury.
A study published in June 2003, in the Journal of the American Medical Association, concluded that children ages 4-7 who use booster seats were 59 percent less likely to be injured in a crash than children who were restrained only by an adult safety belt.
Standard safety belt systems are designed for restraining occupants taller than four feet nine inches and therefore don't fit children correctly. When a crash occurs, a child tends to slide under the lap portion of the belt, moving it up the child's stomach, which can cause severe internal injuries. A similar danger exists with the shoulder portion of the belt which will ride up against the child's neck and can lead to serious injury on a shorter child.
There are two kinds of booster seats — no-back and high-back. No-back booster seats should only be used in vehicles with built-in head restraints and are priced at $15. High-back booster seats range in price from $40 to $100.
Kansas law requires that:
— Children be secured in an appropriate child passenger safety restraint.
— Children younger than one year old and weighing less than 20 pounds must ride in a rear-facing child seat.
— Children ages 1, 2, and 3 must be properly restrained in a forward-facing child seat.
— Children 4, 5, 6, and 7 must ride in a booster seat unless the child weighs more than 80 pounds or is taller than four feet nine inches.
— Children ages 8-13 must be protected by a safety belt.
Although the law goes into effect July 1, a warning provision during the first year will apply only to booster seats. Law enforcement officers will issue warnings for violations of the booster seat law, but may issue citations for unrestrained children young than four and 8-14 years old.
For more information, go to www.kansasboosterseat.org.
