Children's safety

Do laws make a difference? The answer is, clearly "yes" when it comes to booster seat use among Utah children age 4-7. Utah Highway Safety reports use of boosters has increased 51 percent. Many families look to the law for guidance on how to transport children safely. Utah's law matches the best proven safety standards.

A few lawmakers are backsliding on their commitment to children's safety despite evidence the law is working. HB258 repeals the booster law when traveling on roads posted 45 mph or less. This makes no sense. There are no accident-free roads. Even in a minor accident, improperly or unrestrained children have the highest levels of injury.

HB258 misleads families to believe it is safe for children age 4-7 to use seatbelts. Seatbelts are designed for adults and cannot be properly adjusted or fastened safely for young children. In a crash, a shoulder strap can break a child's neck and spinal cord or cut into their abdomen crushing fragile internal organs. Young children can also slide underneath the shoulder strap, hit their head on their knees or the inside of the vehicle and sustain permanent brain damage. Booster seats are extremely effective at preventing serious injury to young children in crashes because they properly position a child so the seatbelt fits correctly. In fact, the risk of injury is lowered by 60 percent with booster seat use.

Utah's current booster seat law has and will continue to prevent death and permanent disability to children age 4-7 by ensuring they are appropriately restrained in a vehicle during a crash.

Maren Buchi

Past President, Utah Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics

Salt Lake City