The following column was submitted by State Representative Dorothy Pelanda.
Our children are the most valuable key to Ohio’s future. They are also the most vulnerable, and they are dependent upon the adults who care for them to keep them safe. By doing so, parents and guardians can better guarantee the prospect of our future.
Recent events in our county, including the tragic death of a young child who was unrestrained in a vehicle, inspired me to examine Ohio’s current laws regarding child restraint seats and seatbelts. That is why I have sponsored House Bill 480, legislation that seeks to make any failure to secure a child in a motor vehicle a primary offense.
Current law provides that failure to properly secure a child in a car seat or with a seatbelt is a “secondary offense.” This means that a law enforcement officer cannot pull over a vehicle for this reason alone; the driver must also be committing another offense, such as speeding or reckless operation, before the officer can act.
Ohio is the only state in the nation where a booster seat law is subject to secondary enforcement. Laws that can only be enforced when officers first observe another traffic infraction are difficult to implement, and they send the wrong message to drivers that these laws are not as important to obey as other laws.
House Bill 480 would make the failure to properly secure a child in a safety seat, booster seat, or seat belt as required by weight and age a “primary offense,” allowing an officer to pursue and to ticket a driver for this offense alone.
States that have enacted booster seat laws have experienced dramatic decreases in child deaths and injuries. When children are properly restrained in a safety seat appropriate for their age and size, their chance of being killed or seriously injured in a crash is greatly reduced.
Improperly restrained children traveling in vehicles are a serious public health problem in Ohio. According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, in 2013, there were 880 crashes in Ohio that involved children that were not properly restrained. Additionally, according to research performed by Partners for Child Passenger Safety, booster seats can reduce the risk of injury by 59% in children ages 4 through 7, as compared to using seat belts alone.
By implementing the booster seat law, we can work to reduce the number of vehicle crashes in Ohio involving children that are incorrectly restrained, thereby saving more lives and preventing injury to young children.
House Bill 480 would also change current law to allow prosecutors to introduce evidence of improper child restraint in a criminal case.
“All too often, we’ve had automobile crashes where young children have been seriously injured or killed. The current child restraint law is being ignored by some drivers, and police can do little,” said the Union County prosecutor. “House Bill 480 gives police the ability to stop cars to protect vulnerable children. Current law also makes it difficult for us to hold driver’s accountable for children’s injuries or death. A change in the law is needed and long overdue. I appreciate Representative Pelanda taking this issue on.”
The death of a young child is unacceptable when a solution is at hand. This legislation seeks to prevent the deaths of children that can be avoided by simply ensuring that they are properly secured in a vehicle.
State Representative Dorothy Pelanda represents the 86th House District in the Ohio House of Representatives, which includes Union and Logan counties, as well as most of Marion County. You can find more information about and contact Pelanda by clicking here.
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