Governor Perry, Please Sign SB 61 Mandating Use Of Booster Seats
Posted by
Brooks SchuelkeMay 26, 2009 10:01 PMIn today's Austin American Statesman, Dr. Todd Maxson, the trauma medical director at Dell Children's Hospital (and dad of two of the kids on the little league team I helped coach this year), wrote an editorial encouraging Governor Perry to sign SB 61, which would mandate the use of booster seats by children aged 5 to 7 and under 4 foot, 9 inches.
In calling for Governor Perry to sign the bill, Dr. Maxson states:
As the trauma medical director at two of the leading pediatric medical centers in Texas — I'm at Dell Children's Medical Center after a stint at Children's Medical Center Dallas — I have witnessed the devastating consequences of injuries due to the improper restraint of children in motor vehicles.
I cannot begin to share with you the grief and dismay that parents — who obeyed current Texas child restraint law, yet in a crash saw their children killed or disabled — feel when they realize that the law does not match the best proven safety standards.
Senate Bill 61, awaiting signature by Gov. Rick Perry, will prevent death and permanent disability to children 5 through 7 by ensuring that they are appropriately restrained in a vehicle during a crash.
Current Texas law requires children to be restrained in a seatbelt. That restraint, however, does not provide adequate protection during a crash. Children ages 5 through 7 who are restrained only by a seatbelt are susceptible to injuries, paralysis and death. The simple addition of a booster seat allows the vehicles' restraining device to better protect the occupant.
I hope all of you will join me in encouraging Governor Perry in signing this important legislation.
And let me add, that I know my last three posts have all dealt with this issue. I do not want to beat a dead horse, but right now, there are probably few things that I could do that are as important as helping protect all of our children.