LANSING, Mich. — A group of lawmakers are working to raise Michigan’s car seat safety standards to those at the federal level.
Car seats save 325 children under the age of five each year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
However, the NHTSA also notes that car crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages one to 13.
Right now, Michigan law requires children younger than four years old to ride in a car seat.
Children under four must ride in the backseat if possible; however, state law says a child under four may ride in a car seat in the front seat if all the back seats already have children under four in them. In that case, the airbag needs to be turned off.
Additionally, kids must be buckled in a car seat or booster seat until they are eight years old or four-foot-nine, whichever comes first.
Car seat safety standards at the federal level focus more on the type of car seat your child should ride in based on their age, height and weight.
The NHTSA provides the following car seat recommendations for children:
Car Seat Recommendations for Children by Age, Size by WXMI on Scribd
State Representative John Fitzgerald of Wyoming sponsored the bill to update Michigan’s car seat safety standards.
“It is something that, as a new parent, I am learning for the first time about all these safety issues or safety hazards for children,” Rep. Fitzgerald said Thursday. “Traveling in a car is anxiety-inducing sometimes for new parents bringing that baby home for the first time from the hospital. This is a really good chance to improve the lives of Michigan parents and families across the state.”
He says the goal is to educate parents and caregivers as opposed to penalizing them.
The new legislation offers the option of getting the fee waived if you are cited for improper car seat safety and instead providing education such as why the seat was not acceptable and what you can do to find a safer option.
Now, the legislation heads to a House committee for consideration.
