Ohio's Booster-Seat Law
Motor vehicle crashes
are the leading cause of death to children age 2 to
14 and the leading cause of injury-related death to
children under 2. Vehicle seat belts are designed
for the comfort and protection of an adult-sized
body. Child safety seats, when used and installed
correctly, can prevent injury and save lives.
Unrestrained or
improperly restrained children are more likely to be
injured, to suffer more severe injuries, and to die
in motor vehicle crashes than children who are
restrained. Restrained children have an 80 percent
lower risk for injuries or death than children who
are unrestrained. Misuse of child safety seats is
widespread. It is estimated that nearly 4 out of 5
children who are placed in car seats are improperly
restrained.
Who
needs to be in a booster seat?
In
compliance with Ohio’s new law, children who are
4, 5, 6 and 7 years old, who weigh more than 40
pounds and are less than 4-feet-9-inches tall.
Many older children -- up to the age of 12 -- ought
to use them too, safety experts say. Bottom line:
All children should use a safety seat until a car's
seat belt fits them properly. Also - regarding
booster seats: Children must be in them no matter
who's driving. That means grandparents and
caregivers have to make
sure they're
used, too.
And
other children?
Those who are younger than 4 and weigh less than 40
pounds must be in car seats, under Ohio law.
Children from 8 to 15 who are not in a booster seat
must be in a seat belt – anywhere in the car.
What happens under the law if I don't have a booster
seat?
Officers can issue warnings beginning Oct. 7,
2009.
But they won't start writing tickets until April
7, 2010. A first offense will cost you $25 to
$75, plus court costs. Not having a booster seat is
considered a secondary offense in Ohio. That means
it works like the seat-belt law for adults -- an
officer cannot stop a driver just to see if he's
violating the booster-seat law. But if an officer
pulls a driver over for something else, he can write
him a ticket for not using a booster seat.
The car-seat law for infants and toddlers is different.
An officer can pull a driver over on suspicion of
not having a child less than 4 years old and 40
pounds in a car seat.
Front seat or back?
Ohio's booster-seat law doesn't require children to be in
back seats, but experts say that's the safest place
for them. Thomas Vilt, child-passenger safety
coordinator says, "We would all be safer if we rode
in the back seat."
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