New Child Passenger Safety Law
A Step in the Right Direction

Safety advocates say law doesn’t go far enough,
urge parents to follow expert advice and not just the law

Press Conference
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Driscoll Children’s Hospital
Health Center Parking Lot
10 a.m.

(Corpus Christi, TX) Under Texas law, starting September 1, a driver is breaking the law if any child under 5 years old and 36 inches tall is riding without an appropriate car seat or booster seat. Driscoll Children's Hospital wants to remind parents and caregivers that this new law is only a minimum requirement, not the best practice recommended by safety experts.

“Kids need to be in a car seat until they weigh 35 or 40 pounds and then stay in a booster seat until they’re approximately 8 years old and 57 inches tall,” says Karen Beard , Injury Prevention Coordinator. “A belt-positioning booster seat lowers the risk of injury by 60 percent compared to a seatbelt alone.”

Although children’s hospitals, Safe Kids coalitions, public health, safety and law enforcement organizations in every major city in Texas favored the new law, Karen Beard says, “It’s just a small step in the right direction. Parents need to continue to follow the advice of safety experts and not just the minimum requirements of the law.”

Safe Kids Worldwide, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the American Academy of Pediatrics are all on record in support of booster seats for children under 4 feet, 9 inches tall. The passenger has to be tall enough to have the shoulder belt cross the shoulder, not the neck. For most children ages 4 to 8, that requires a belt-positioning booster seat.

“A child who can sit all the way back against the back of the vehicle seat, and bend his or her knees over the edge of the seat, is ready for the lap and shoulder belt,” says Karen Beard. “If your child is tucking the shoulder strap under an arm, or ducking under it and just using the lap belt, that defeats the purpose and your child is not riding safely. It means your child needs a belt-positioning booster in order to be restrained by the lap and shoulder belt.”

In Texas, in 2003, 42,643 children were injured in a car crash. Nationwide, more than 1,300 kids are killed and 200,000 injured. A child who is improperly restrained is 3.5 times more likely to be seriously injured than a child who is properly restrained. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death in children ages 4-16.

“We appreciate the new law, but child safety advocates won’t stop calling for a law that better reflects the consensus of expert advice about child passenger safety,” says Karen Beard. “We’re encouraged by the fact that the bill directs the Department of Public Safety to study further options for CPS legislation, and to seek input from child safety advocates. We look forward to continuing our work with State Representative Fred Brown and other legislators in support of these laws to make Texas roads as safe as they can be for our children.”

Parents who have any questions or concerns about child passenger safety can call 361-694-6700 to make an appointment for a free inspection by a nationally certified Child Passenger Safety Technician.

Driscoll Children's Hospital works to prevent accidental childhood injury, the leading killer of children 14 and under.

About Driscoll Children’s Hospital
“Improve the health of adults and you give them back their health …
Improve the health of children and you give them their life.”

Since opening its doors in 1953, Driscoll Children’s Hospital has been offering hope and healing to the children of South Texas for half a century. The facility is a 189-bed pediatric tertiary care center with pediatric board-certified specialists representing 19 medical and nine surgical specialties. Each year, more than 6,000 children are admitted for inpatient care, 5,000 for day surgery, and 50,000 for outpatient primary and specialty care, as well as 40,000 for emergency care, as the first South Texas hospital with emergency services exclusively for children. Additionally, Driscoll maintains a state-of-the-art ground/air transport team, 20-bed pediatric intensive care unit, 40-bed neonatal intensive care unit, and specialized medical outreach.

www.driscollchildrens.org

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