New Child Safety Seat Law
If you have kids ages 5 through 7, they would have to be protected in a child passenger safety seat while traveling under a bill approved Wednesday by the Senate transportation committee. The measure by Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, expands the existing state law that requires all children under age 5 and shorter than 3 feet to be strapped into a safety - or booster - seat.
Under Sen. Zaffirini's proposal, which now goes to the full Senate, the requirement would affect all children under age 8 unless they were taller than 4 feet, 9 inches. The standard is based on federal guidelines and is the law in all but 11 states. The senator said the average $30 car booster seat would generate $2,000 each in cost savings based on the $17 million spent annually in Texas to treat children in that age group who are injured in traffic accidents. Another bonus, according to supporters, is that Texas will qualify for an extra $25 million a year in federal grants if the bill passes.
Comments
The nanny-state rules over all. Where do I begin?
The most important point is this: if you have more than two kids under age 8, forget the $30 cost of a car seat... you need to buy a new car. I could squeeze my five year old between two car seats, but heaven help me if I have to squeeze another seat in. It won't work.
If you carpool other folks kids to extra-curricular activities, you're in the same boat.
And don't tell me to get skinnier car seats because we all know that Americans (including the young) are getting fatter.
So I have the choice of disobeying the law and being fined $25 every time we're caught (and explaining to my kids why we're intentionally breaking the law), or buy a different vehicle... something with 3rd row seating, that gets lousy mileage.
But wait, the money received will go to buying car seats for "the poor." How soon until the money goes toward buying "the poor" a new car?
The fact that $25M in federal grants ride on the passage of the this law, if true, makes me want to vote for dope smoking libertarians, strict constitutionalists, or some other type of anarchist.
Posted by: Mike | April 12, 2007 12:09 PM
I am concerned that putting our daughter in a safety booster seat would be more dangerous for her than just being in a lap belt, because the booster makes her head and neck raise above the seat level. This puts her in grave danger for head and neck injuries. Our vehicle does not have rear head rests in the very back seat. We have 3 children at home still, and one of them must sit back in the back of the van. So when they are in the very back seat, we do not use the safety seat, in order to protect them.
There needs to be a better way to protect mid sized kids. Our kids are 8 and around 50-60 lbs. Our dr. wants them to stay in seats until they are at least 80 lbs. ?? That is only 5 lbs. less than one of my adult friends!
Posted by: Christie | May 28, 2007 8:26 PM