| Often in child custody cases, issues are raised | | | | would also be required to have any child under the |
| regarding the manner in which a child is being | | | | age of eight who is shorter than 4'9" tall in a |
| transported and whether it complies with state | | | | properly installed booster seat which complies with |
| law regarding appropriate child safety restraints. In | | | | Federal motor vehicle safety standards. The |
| many cases, parents have a basic understanding | | | | violation of this requirement is still a secondary |
| of what the bare legal requirements are, but little | | | | offense meaning that a driver cannot be pulled |
| or no knowledge of what precautions the experts | | | | over just for not having the booster seat. |
| recommend above and beyond what the law | | | | Colorado, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania, are states |
| requires. As a result, studies show that a very | | | | which are also viewed by child safety groups as |
| small percentage of parent use booster seats in | | | | deficient in their child restraint laws; However, |
| transporting children between the ages of four | | | | Ohio was singled out and chastised recently by |
| and seven. | | | | the National Transportation Safety Board for our |
| In Ohio, legislation has been passed to legally | | | | lack of a booster seat requirement for the 4 to 7 |
| require the use of booster seats for children in | | | | age group. Further, the absence of a primary |
| the four to seven age group. On January 6, 2009, | | | | offense for failure to properly restrain children |
| Governor Strickland signed Amended House Bill | | | | with booster seats in the 4 to 7 age group has |
| 320 into effect making significant changes to | | | | been cited as a central obstacle to millions in |
| Ohio's child safety seat requirements. | | | | Federal grant money which would otherwise be |
| Although some members of the House and | | | | available to Ohio. |
| Senate viewed the additional requirement as an | | | | According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic |
| unnecessary infringement on individual liberties, | | | | Safety, appropriate booster seats are used by |
| several child safety and transportation groups | | | | only a small percentage of the drivers and |
| came out in active support of the bill. | | | | booster seats are extremely effective in reducing |
| Under our current law, Ohio is one of only a few | | | | injuries in crashes involving children ages four to |
| states for which child restraint laws are standard | | | | seven years old. In support, the Foundation cites |
| for all children under the age of eight. Under | | | | research by the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia |
| current Ohio law, an appropriate car seat is | | | | indicating that children in this age category who |
| required for any child who is under the age of | | | | were seated in booster seats were 59% less |
| four or weighs less than 40 lbs.. Under the | | | | likely to suffer serious injury in crashes than those |
| amendments contained in the bill, Ohio parents | | | | who were restrained using only a seat belt. |