Parents back Altman’s booster seat bill


Tuesday, February 03, 2009

By Jim Ash and Kimberly C. Moore - Florida Today

Calling them the “forgotten children,” safety advocates are back again this year with a bill that would require car booster seats for kids ages 4-7 years old.

SB-316 by Sen. Thad Altman, R-Viera, would sock violators with a minimum $60 fine and three points against a license for failing to use the seats, which can cost as little as $16.

Current law requires car seats for infants and children up to 4, but after that only standard safety belts are required.

“We are not applying the law equally and fairly across the board to our most vulnerable citizens,” Altman said.

Florida is one of three states—Arizona and South Dakota are the other two—that don’t have booster-seat requirements, sponsors say.

Parents are applauding Altman’s efforts.

“I would keep them in a booster seat as long as I possibly can,” said Rockledge mom Stacey Claridge. She has a 2-year-old son about to transition to a booster seat.

She works in the Brevard County Budget Office and lives in Rockledge with her husband, an insurance claims adjuster. She said he has shared some stories about car accident injuries. She has also traveled to Tallahassee with Junior League of South Brevard member Julia Irvin to lobby the Legislature to pass this bill.

Rich Glorioso, R-Plant City, and Richard Steinberg, D-Miami Beach, are sponsoring the House version.

The bill is also supported by AAA, the Florida Medical Association, the Florida Children’s Services Council, the Junior League, the Advocacy Institute for Children, the Florida Pediatric Society and the Florida Highway Patrol.

Big issue

The American Academy of Pediatrics also recommends a booster seat for children who have outgrown their car seats.

“Children should stay in a booster seat until adult belts fit correctly—usually when a child reaches about 4’9” in height and is between 8 and 12 years of age,” academy experts say.

The experts add that children should remain in the backseat until they are 13 years old because it is the safest spot in the car.

Titusville Fire Department’s Reggie Belle, a life safety specialist and nationally certified child passenger safety instructor, has also spoken to legislators on the issue.

Belle is confident the bill will pass this time, but said one of the main reasons the bill was vetoed before was because it would impact tourists traveling with children to Florida.

“Another reason was perhaps it would be a hardship on grandparents or people who were less fortunate,” Belle said. “But how great of a hardship would it be if a child was killed or needed medical attention the rest of his life? It’s really inexcusable to say you can’t afford it when really you can’t afford not to.”

Safety first

The Titusville Fire Department offers child seats at about half the cost to families in need. They also offer checks to see if child seats are properly installed about once a month. The Florida Highway Patrol offers seats for free to parents who attend a safety presentation.

David Moore of Chuluota supports the law. He and his wife, Lisa, learned in one of the hardest ways how important the issue is when their daughter, Ashley, was paralyzed in a 1998 car accident during a two-block ride to her school. She was just 7 years old when she had climbed into the front seat to change the radio station and an unlicensed driver hit her mother’s car head-on. The Moores have worked to inform parents all over the state to keep their children properly restrained in the back seat of their car.

“The problem with current law is the physical size and/or height of a 4-year-old still does not fit an ‘adult’ seat belt,” said Moore. “What occurs is a ‘hangman’ situation if the car has to stop quickly. And even with ‘smart’ air bags, the child will be placed into the deployment zone of an airbag because the seatbelt is not properly restraining them.”

Kim Rezanka of Merritt Island keeps her 7-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son in a booster seat.

“The way the cars are made, if they’re not, they’ll be strangled,” Rezanka said.

Contact Moore at 242-3664 or

Car seat tips

Keep a toddler in a rear- facing car seat until age 2. Rear-facing is safer than front-facing. Read the car seat owner’s manual before installing. Have car seats inspected and installed before the baby arrives. Don’t give a child food while they are in a car seat. Car seats should only last 5-6 years. Don’t buy used car seats or use a seat if you don’t know how old it is. It is recommended that no children ride in the front seat until they are at least 13. Car seats have flame resistant material on the fabric covers. Try not to wash the covers unless absolutely necessary because it can weaken the flame resistant material. Keep only soft items in the vehicle. Sharp or hard objects can hurt your child in a crash. Do not add anything to a car seat. Use it just as it was when it came out of the box, because that’s how it was crash-tested. Sources: Fl. Highway Patrol, Safe Kids Northeast Fl.

NEED A SEAT?

For those who need a car seat, the Florida Highway Patrol gives them for free to parents who attend a safety presentation. Call Trooper Wanda Diaz at 407-737-2300, ext. 1008.