Booster seats are different from child safety seats. Child safety seats are installed into the car using a seat belt system while an additional harness on the seat keeps the child safe during a crash. Booster seats are designed to “boost” the child so the vehicle’s lap and shoulder belt fits properly. The vehicle seatbelt protects the child during a crash.

According to Pam Holt, Trauma Prevention Education Coordinator at St. John’s Hospital, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of pediatric trauma admission for children under age 16. “Our admission data shows that children who are between the ages of 4 and 8 are more likely to have an increased number of injuries and more severe injuries due to a motor vehicle crashes.”

Since the seatbelt does not fit properly, the shoulder belt usually crosses the child’s neck, rather than the shoulder. Often, children will put the shoulder strap behind their back or under their arm. During a front end collision, the child’s head and torso will fly forward; this can stretch the spine, causing paralysis or death. For many children, they simply choose not to buckle. Sixty three percent of children admitted to St. John’s due to a motor vehicle crash were not wearing a seatbelt.

According to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, booster seats reduce the injury risk by 59 percent, compared to children who only use seatbelts.

Across the country, 34 states have enacted booster seat legislation. According to Holt, who is the Chair of the National Child Passenger Safety Board, booster seat laws are an effective way to reduce injury. “Many parents use the law as a guide. Even though booster seat use is best practice, many parents tend to base their safety practices on the law.” The common thought among parents is that “If it is not a law and I can’t be fined or ticketed, then why should I use a booster seat?”

According to Denison, the bill should be passed out of the committee within the next few weeks. “I fully expect this bill to pass and it should pass for the kids.”


One Family's Story

Bridget Tuck recognizes that the lap and shoulder seatbelt in her dad’s truck does not fit her. The lap belt lays high on her abdomen and the shoulder belt cuts across her neck. The 8 year old from Ozark vividly describes what can happen to her if she is in a crash with an improperly fitting seatbelt, “The seatbelt would squish my guts or break my neck and I could die.”

In an effort to keep his children safe in the vehicle, Travis Tuck requires that his all three of his children ride in belt positioning booster seats. Bridget and her twin sister Cheyanne have been riding in booster seats ever since they outgrew their conventional child safety seat.

Bridget and her siblings went to Jefferson City last week to testify to the House Transportation Committee in support of the booster seat legislation. All three of the children buckled themselves into a vehicle seatbelt without a booster seat to show the poor fit of the seatbelt. They also demonstrated the seatbelt fit using a booster seat. Committee members were surprised to see that the four foot tall 8 year old was still too small to fit into the adult lap and shoulder belt. “A picture is worth a thousand words” said Representative Denison of the testimony provided. “It really makes the point that we could save children and prevent injuries by passing this legislation.”


Does your child need a booster seat?
If the answer to any of the following questions is no, your child is safest riding in a booster seat.

• Does the child sit all the way back against the vehicle seat?
• Do the child’s knees bend comfortably at the edge of the vehicle seat?
• Does the belt cross the shoulder between the neck and arm?
• Is the lap belt as low as possible, touching the thighs?
• Can the child stay seated upright, without slouching for the entire length of the trip?
  
  http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/childps/CPSWeekPlanner/

For media information, contact St. John's Media Relations at 417-820-2426 or cscott@sprg.mercy.net.