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Officer Kevin Monahan, A certified Child Safety Seat Technician
checks to insure proper installation of a child seat.
Child Passenger Seat Safety
Massachusetts children up to 7 years old or four-feet-nine-inches tall would have to be in booster seats when riding in automobiles, upping the age requirement two years and switching the size threshold from weight to height, under legislation Gov. Deval Patrick signed Friday. Sen. Steven Baddour (D-Methuen), bill sponsor and Senate chair of the Transportation Committee, said in a statement, "All good parents want to do what's right for their children. This change educates parents and encourages them to take steps to protect their children from harm." Baddour aides said motor vehicle accidents are the top killers of children aged 4 to 8, and that booster seats reduce accident fatality rates by 58 percent over seat belts.
Are you and your child passengers properly restrained while driving?
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among children ages 3 to 14 in the United States, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). An average of 5 children age 14 and younger were killed and 640 injured in motor vehicle crashes each day across the United States in 2005. Even a sudden stop can seriously injure a child who is not riding securely in the right type of child safety seat.
State and local police and others involved in child passenger safety (CPS) work continuously to educate parents and caregivers on how to safely transport children in motor vehicles. But state and local police are ready to enforce the Massachusetts CPS Law if necessary to protect children. In 2006 Massachusetts drivers were issued 1,060 CPS Law violations for unrestrained children.
Tips for "best practices" when driving with children as passengers:
· Children from birth to 1 year and less than 20-22 pounds should be in a rear-facing
infant seat. It is safest to have these seats in the back seat and away from air bags.
· Children 1 to 4 years and 20 to 40 pounds should ride in a forward-facing child seat.
· Children who have outgrown a child safety seat, typically when they are over 40
pounds and 5 years of age, should transition to a booster seat which assists in the
proper fit of a safety belt.
· Children who are over 57" and 80 pounds, typically around 8 years of age, are ready
to use just a safety belt.
· Children 12 and younger should never sit in the front seat. The safest seating position
is in the back seat, away from air bags if possible.
· Children 13 years of age or older should ride in the front seat, but should position their
seat as far back as possible from the air bag.
· Always wear your lap and shoulder belt when driving -- it protects you in case of a
crash and it sets a good example for children.
The Concord Police periodically hosts a Child Passenger Safety Checkpoint Safety Day, where safety seats/booster seats are inspected for proper installation by a certified technician, free of cost. Check the Concord Journal for announcements on the next Safety Day or for additional information, contact Officer Kevin Monahan or Officer Jeffrey Young at 978-318-3400 for more information and installation
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