Thursday, February 10, 2005
The Mahoning County Safe Communities program said Feb. 13-19 is National Child Passenger Safety Week.
The purpose is to place special emphasis on reminding all parents and other adults responsible for children traveling in motor vehicles that if kids are under 4 feet 9 inches, they need a booster seat, said Tracy Styka, District Board of Health spokesman.
Motor vehicle crashes are the No. 1 killer of children ages 2 to 14. Children 4 to 8 who use booster seats are 59 percent less likely to be injured in a car crash than children who are restrained only by a safety belt.
Styka said safety advocates want parents and guardians to always remember to appropriately buckle up everyone, every time. Local law enforcement has a zero-tolerance policy toward those not buckled up. Tickets will be issued to those found in violation of Ohio's safety belt and child passenger safety laws. Styka said there were two traffic deaths in January in the county, compared with three for the same period last year.