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Politics & Government

New Child Restraint Law Takes Effect July 1

Children under the age of 8 are required to be secured in child safety or booster seats.

A new law designed to protect children between the ages of 6 and 8 whose height and weight still puts them at risk for injury as a result of being secured only by an adult lap or seat belt will go into effect on July 1.

S.B. 88 requires that all children under 8 be secured in a child seat or booster seat. The child seat or booster seat must be located in the rear seat of the vehicle, must be appropriate for the child's height and weight and must meet all federal safety standards.

According to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, children using booster seats are 59 percent less likely to be injured in a crash than those using just a seat belt.

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“Within the last four years, 95 percent of the patients we saw for injuries resulting from a motor vehicle crash between the ages of 6 and 8 were improperly restrained,” said James Fortenberry, M.D. Pediatrician-in-Chief, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. “This new law closes the gap between federal recommendations and state laws that protect children who fall in this age range, and we are hopeful that it will ensure a decrease in the number of children we see due to this type of incident.”

Once a child turns 8, he or she is no longer required to sit in a child or booster seat. Children who are at least 4-foot-9 are exempt from the law as are children whose parents have obtained a written physician's statement explaining why the child cannot be restrained in a booster seat. Children who weigh at least 40 pounds may use a lap belt only instead of a booster seat if:

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  • the child weighs 40 pounds or more and the available lap and shoulder belts are being used to restrain other children. 
  • the child weighs 40 pounds or more and the vehicle is not equipped with both lap and shoulder belts.

Governor Nathan Deal signed the bill into law on May 9.

According to a press release from Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, in 2008, a total of 14,154 children ages 6 to 8 years in Georgia were involved in motor vehicle crashes. Of those children, 1,755 were injured and 10 were killed. Only 12 percent of these children were reported to be using a supplemental restraint, such as a child safety seat or a booster seat, in addition to the adult seat belt. In the three-year period from 2005 to 2007, hospitalization charges for 248 children who were hospitalized due to motor vehicle traffic related injuries were about $7 million. An additional $5 million in charges was for the 5,111 emergency room visits for the same period.

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