March 2008

In September 2007, State Representative Shannon Jones (R-Springboro) introduced important legislation requiring the use of booster seats for children ages 4 through 8 or under 4’9” tall.

While 98 percent of America’s infants and 89 percent of children ages 1 to 3 are now regularly restrained, not enough children ages 4 to 7 are restrained properly for their size and age. What many parents don’t know is that once a child outgrows a car seat, the next step for safety isn’t the adult seat belt—it’s a booster seat. Children who are 4 to 8 who use booster seats are 59 percent less likely to be injured in a car crash than children who are restrained only by a seat belt, according to a study by Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

For years, Ohio has lagged behind in the area of child vehicle safety. Currently, Ohio is one of only 12 states without some form of booster seat legislation.

Dayton Children’s as been working to educate parents and families as well as legislators about the importance of booster seats, but we need your help. 

We are expecting the current legislation to go for a vote before the Ohio House of Representatives in March. We need to let our legislators know that parents and other safety advocates support this legislation.

Please take just three minutes to write your member of the Ohio House of Representatives and urge them to support booster seat legislation for Ohio’s children.

To do this, visit the Legislative Action Center.

Under the “Action Alert!” box, click the link, “click here.” You will be asked to type in your home ZIP code, and an action alert box will appear on the next screen. 
 
We encourage you to personalize your message – describe why you support this legislation and why booster seats matter to children in our community. Personalized letters make the greatest impression on elected officials.
 
Thank you for volunteering to be a voice for children in Ohio.

If you would like more information about this campaign, please contact Vicki Giambrone at 937-641-3666 or Lori Kershner by e-mail.

Legislative update archives
Visit the legislative update archives to see what other issues Dayton Children's has been involved in.