Dec 2005

Giving children a boost

Children need more than a seatbelt to keep them safe

It’s the law – in both Kentucky and Indiana – that infants and toddlers are required to ride in a car seat to protect them in the event of a car wreck. What’s a parent to do when a child outgrows his or her car seat, but doesn’t quite fit in a regular vehicle seat belt? The law does not address child passenger restraint options for those children. “Nine out of 10 parents think that if they follow child passenger laws, they will be adequately protecting their children,” said Sharon Rengers, R.N., a certified child passenger safety instructor and child advocate in the Children’s Hospital Foundation Office of Child Advocacy of Kosair Children’s Hospital. When children outgrow car seats, they need more than an adult seat belt to keep them safe. Vehicle seat belts are made to fit around an adult’s body, Rengers said. Children restrained by an adult seat belt can be ejected from the seat because of their small body frame. Additionally, shoulder straps may bother children by crossing their face or pushing against their neck when they ride in a vehicle’s regular seat. When children complain about the seat belt, many parents tell them to put the shoulder belt behind their back or under their arm, and that’s the wrong thing to do.

“When children put the shoulder portion of the belt behind their back or under an arm all of the upper body protection has been removed,” Rengers said. “This means that in a collision, the lap belt could cause internal injuries or worse yet, the child could be ejected.” 

To help seat belts fit kids properly, Rengers suggests using booster seats. They can reduce injuries from lap-shoulder belts that do not fit correctly by adding the extra height a child needs to properly fit the restraints.

“Most children younger than age 8 and of average size should be riding in a booster seat,” Rengers said.

—Keri Shain

Want to know more?
For more information about booster seats, including instructions on fitting seat belts properly, and a schedule of free safety seat check-up clinics, call (502) 629-KIDS.

The Office of Child Advocacy of Kosair Children’s Hospital is funded by the
Children’s Hospital Foundation. To learn more about supporting child passenger safety efforts or other injury prevention programs, call (502) 629-8060

Help make using booster seats the law!  
Call your congressional representative toll free at (800) 372-7181 and ask for support in passing the booster seat law during this legislative session. Explain that all of Kentucky ’s children deserve to be properly secured when traveling by car.