 |
Ohio Booster Seat Coalition  |
|||||||||
TestimonyTestimony before the Good afternoon Madam Chairwoman and committee members. My name is Brian Newbacher and I’m here this morning on behalf of the Ohio Conference of AAA Clubs. Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today in support of Senate Bill 27. AAA is working diligently on its “Seated, Safe & Secure” campaign to help educate those of us who transport children to use booster seats, and other child safety seats, in the safest manner possible. In fact, we conduct regular safety seat checks, as a public service, in countless Ohio communities each year. We are also working closely with the Ohio Children’s Hospital Association, the Ohio State Highway Patrol and others to form a coalition of broad-based support for this life-saving legislation. The best protection for children in the 4 to 8 year-old range is to place the child in the rear with a belt-positioning booster seat, such as this one. (Present low-back booster for inspection if not already done by another witness.) Booster seats help protect children from injury and death in crashes by ensuring that the adult seat belt fits properly. Proper fit reduces the risk of “lap belt syndrome,” which occurs when the lap belt portion of the adult seat belt rides up into a child’s abdomen, potentially causing internal injuries to the liver and spleen. The effectiveness of booster seats in protecting children from serious crash-related injuries is well documented. For example, a study by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (Dr.’s Durbin, Winston, as published in JAMA, June 4, 2003) reported that booster seats reduced the odds of sustaining significant injuries in a crash by 59 percent of children ages 4-7 in 15 states. The seats were especially effective in reducing injuries to the abdomen, neck, spine, back, and lower extremities. Despite this evidence, usage rates remain abysmally low. In a study of booster seat usage in six states, the National Highway Transportation and Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA, Decina and Lococo, 2004) reported that only 37(.2) percent of children ages 4 to 8 were restrained with any form of child restraint system; the remainder either were using adult seat belts (45.5 percent) or were not restrained at all (17.3 percent). In fact, NHTSA estimates that only 10-20 percent of booster-size children are using one. All too often, children over the age of 4 prematurely graduate to the manufacturer-installed safety belts. These are systems that are designed and tested for 168-pound adult males. While the mismatch of a small child to an adult lap or lap and shoulder belt is obvious to the trained eye, parents and caregivers cannot be entirely faulted for bypassing the booster seat stage. Parents often look to laws for guidance on how best to protect their child in a vehicle. The lack of widespread and well-funded educational efforts, coupled with a state law that provides minimal coverage for children over the age of four, creates a false sense of security for parents who believe they are transporting their children in the safest manner possible—when in fact—they are not. For the first time since booster seat laws were enacted, there is finally a study that proved what we all assumed – booster seat laws are effective. A recent study by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia shows that children aged 4 through 7 in states with booster seat laws are 39 percent more likely to be appropriately restrained in a booster seat or child safety seat than children in states without such laws. As the father of 3 children, I learned from personal experience the complexity of the issues involved in properly securing young children. With my oldest child, I have also learned how difficult it is to successfully educate her on the importance of using a booster seat when she says to me, “None of the other kids have to!” My answer to that is that none of the other kids will be as safe as she is. My child’s reluctance notwithstanding, AAA membership supports this legislation quite convincingly. In fact, a full two-thirds (66 percent) of Ohio’s 2.5 million AAA members support this bill, according to a recent survey. There is also an economic incentive to support this legislation. The federal transportation reauthorization of 2005, SAFETEA-LU, provides Child Passenger Safety grants to states that enact and enforce booster seat laws. It’s my understanding that $1.35 million would be available to Ohio if a booster seat law were enacted. Up to 50 percent of those funds could be used for low-income eligible families to pay for as many as 25,000 booster seats. States receiving grants can use the funds for education, enforcement and training activities, as well as to purchase and distribute booster seats to low-income families. AAA was a strong advocate for including the CPS grants in the transportation bill. Senate Bill 27 is consistent with federal recommendations and represents great progress in child passenger safety. AAA commends Senator Kearney for his leadership and concern for traffic safety. With 38 states already having a similar measure in place to protect older children in vehicles, let’s make Ohio the 39th. I encourage this committee to vote in favor of SB 27. |
||||
|
||||
