OHIO AAA campaign targets seat-belt use for kids

Fifty-six percent of the more than 8,100 children under age 15 who died in vehicle crashes in 2000 did not use seat belts or other restraints.
CLEVELAND -- The AAA has begun a national campaign -- "Seated Safe and Secure" -- that stresses the proper use of vehicle child restraint systems to reduce deaths among children ages 4-14 involved in traffic accidents, the leading cause of death in that age category.
Brian Newbacher, director of public affairs for AAA-Ohio, said 56 percent of the more than 8,100 children under 15 who died in vehicle crashes in 2000 were completely unrestrained.
Many others who were killed were either not fastened properly or were not in the correct restraint, he added.
Focus: The AAA campaign will focus on three major areas as part of a multiyear initiative: enhancing inadequate child passenger safety laws in the vast majority of states; changing the behavior of parents through a major public awareness campaign; and positioning the AAA as a knowledgeable resource for its members and the public.
In Ohio, AAA-Ohio Motorists Association has endorsed House Bill 334, which is before the House State Government Committee. The legislation would require all children under age 8 and/or weighing less than 80 pounds to be secured in a booster seat in the vehicle's rear seat.
Children between 9 and 17 could be seated anywhere in the vehicle, but would be required to use a safety belt, Newbacher added.