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Larry DeShazor |
Advocacy Corner
The Boost MI Kids Coalition formed to help protect Michigan's children riding in motor vehicles. Michigan's current child passenger safety law allows children to ride at risk. The goal of the Boost MI Kids Coalition is to make child passenger safety a high priority for our policy makers and citizens. Boost MI Kids will work to strengthen existing legislation to include booster age children and remove exemptions that compromise child passenger safety. Boost MI Kids will support national child passenger safety best practice recommendations developed to provide the optimum protection for children.
Child Passenger Safety in Michigan
Motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) are the leading cause of death for Michigan children ages 14 and under. In 2005, 7,188 Michigan children ages 0-15 were injured and 84 children were killed in crashes. While the largest toll of MVCs is in human suffering and loss, crashes also exact an enormous toll on Michigan's economy. In 2005, the economic cost of MVCs to Michigan residents was $9.1 billion, or $899.00 per resident!
Recommended Action
Strong occupant protection laws that are consistently enforced are one of the best ways to prevent injuries and save children's lives. Parents rely on laws for guidance on how to properly restrain their children yet they receive conflicting messages between what is known to be the best practice and the state law. The law is the cornerstone of a state's commitment to child passenger safety. It is therefore important that the law reflects no less than what is currently recommended by such respected organizations as the American Academy of Pediatricians, Safe Kids Worldwide, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
A model law would eliminate gaps in coverage related to age and seating position and would include sufficient penalties for violations. Model language would include the following:
- Any child less than eight years of age or less than 4'9" in height shall be properly secured in an appropriate manufacturer's certified child restraint system.
- Children under the age of 12 must ride in the back seat when possible.
- Drivers should not be exempted from the law under any circumstances.
- Violators who do not comply with state law should be penalized with appropriate fines.
- Penalties should not be waived for those guilty of violating state child occupant protection laws.
- A public fund and educational campaign to promote child passenger safety and provide free/low-cost child safety seats to low-income families should be established.
The Facts
A review of motor vehicle crash insurance data from 1998 through 2002 conducted by the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia found that;
In Michigan:
- Just 14.4% of 4-8 year-old children were using booster seats.
- Less than 1% of children ages 6, 7, or 8 years old were appropriately restrained in a booster seat.
- 12% of children under age 12 were inappropriately seated in the vehicle front seat.
Nationwide:
- Using a booster seat with a seat belt instead of a seat belt alone reduces a child's risk of injury by 59% for children age 4-8.
- A child's injury risk is reduced by 33% when moved from the front seat to the rear seat.
- Barriers to proper booster seat use (reported by parents) include a lack of awareness, a low risk perception of injury, and lack of a state law requiring use.
- Children ages 4-8 using seat belts alone are 4 times more likely to suffer head/brain injury compared to those using child restraints.
- More than 90% of 4-8 year-old children who were seriously injured were not restrained in a booster seat.
How Does Michigan's Law Compare?
Safe Kids Worldwide rated the nation's occupant protection laws in a report entitled, A National Rating of Child Occupant Protection Laws (Feb 01). Michigan's law received a failing grade of "F" in part because the law:
- Allows young children to ride inappropriately restrained.
- Lacks a legislative mandate for a public child passenger safety education program.
- Permits a parent to unbuckle a child in a moving car to nurse him/her.
- Allows children ages 4-8 to ride in a safety belt alone.
- Has a fine of only $10 and no driver license points for violations.
Since the Safe Kids Worldwide report was released in 2001, thirty-eight states now have laws that require older children to use appropriate child safety seats, including booster seats, which are designed to raise a child up so that the adult safety belt fits properly.