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Booster Seat Law Enforcement Begins August 1, 2004
Motorists urged to learn about the law and how to protect
child passengers with booster seats
The enforcement provision in Colorado's booster seat law begins on Sunday,
August 1, reports the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). Colorado’s
booster seat law took effect last year, with the first year devoted to education
about the law and booster seats.
“I am happy to have this important legislation in place,” said State Senator
Peter Groff, who sponsored the booster seat law. “I was pleased to work with
Governor Owens to prevent injuries and save lives on Colorado highways.”
The booster seat law was added last year to Colorado's child passenger safety
law. It requires children who weigh over 40 pounds or are at least four years
old to be properly restrained in a child booster seat or with a child safety
belt-positioning device. Children must ride in booster seats until they are six
years old or 55 inches tall.
"Booster seats give critical protection to children who have outgrown child car
seats but are too small to fit into adult seat belts,” said Tom Norton, CDOT
Executive Director. “This protection is essential to preventing injury and death
to young passengers in traffic crashes.”
Using a booster seat correctly positions the vehicle’s lap/shoulder belt on the
child; correctly positioning the lap belt across the child’s upper thighs and
the shoulder belt across the chest. A child incorrectly positioned with only the
vehicle’s seat belt is at risk for serious abdominal, spinal and other injuries
if involved in a traffic crash.
During the first year of the law, efforts focused on educating parents and
caregivers about the law and proper use of child safety seats and seat belts for
children. Only warnings were issued by law enforcement agencies for violations
of the booster seat law during that time. On August 1, 2004 officers will issue
both citations and warnings. It is the driver's responsibility to ensure that
child passengers are properly buckled up in the appropriate restraint on every
trip.
“Motorists will not see additional enforcement starting on August 1. Law
enforcement agencies will include booster seat law enforcement in their ongoing
enforcement of Colorado’s child passenger safety law,” said Col. Mark Trostel,
Chief of the Colorado State Patrol (CSP). “In addition, continued education
about booster seats will be a top priority.”
Colorado's child passenger safety law includes both secondary and primary
enforcement. The booster seat portion of the law is secondary enforcement,
meaning a driver must be stopped for another driving offense before they can be
ticketed for a violation of the booster seat provision. The infant seat, child
safety seat and seat belt provisions of the law are primary enforcement, meaning
the driver can be stopped and ticketed if an officer sees an unrestrained or
improperly restrained child in the vehicle. In addition to clearly defining
booster seat use, the child passenger safety law also details child safety seat
and seat belt use from birth through age 15 as follows:
• The law requires infants to ride in a rear-facing child safety seat until
they are at least one year old and weigh at least 20 pounds.
• The law requires children ages one to four years old that weigh from 20 pounds
up to 40 pounds to be restrained in a forward-facing child safety seat.
• A child who is at least six years old or at least 55" tall must be properly
restrained with a safety belt.
In 2003 in Colorado, 46 child passengers under age16 died in traffic crashes.
Of the victims, 33 (72 percent) were riding completely unrestrained.
“All parents and caregivers need to take two seconds to properly restrain their
children in appropriate child safety seats,” said Col. Mark Trostel, Chief of
the Colorado State Patrol (CSP). “Inspections conducted across the state show
that more than 90 percent of Colorado’s children are riding at risk in
improperly installed child safety seats.”
The CSP received a $273,000 grant from CDOT to provide information about
Colorado's booster seat law, train car seat technicians and instructors and
coordinate child passenger safety activities statewide. The grant is paid for
with Federal funds provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation's National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“As administrators of the grant, the CSP has created a program titled, CPS
TEAM COLORADO,” said Trostel. “CPS (Child Passenger Safety) TEAM COLORADO
provides the umbrella for coordinating the child safety seat activities for all
safety seat technicians from the CSP, other law enforcement agencies, fire
safety and numerous community safety organizations across Colorado.”
“There is tremendous consumer misunderstanding of crash dynamics,” Trostel
pointed out. “Many parents and caregivers frequently do not understand how child
safety seats and seat belt systems are designed to work in emergency situations.
Misuse of child safety seats is so common, you can assume that it can be found
to some degree in any vehicle that has a child inside.
Currently, CPS TEAM COLORADO is working with more than 1,000 technicians
statewide to offer training and support services to provide safety seat
inspections throughout the state. CPS TEAM COLORADO has also helped organize
more than 100 fit stations where parents and caregivers can find assistance with
how to install and use child safety seats properly.
Denver Health offers car seat checks by appointment only every third Wednesday
of the month from 4-8 p.m. at their fit station at the Rita Bass building. The
next one is on August 18. Paramedics check the seats and educate parents about
child passenger safety and booster seats. To make an appointment at the fit
station, the public should call 303-436-4030. Denver Health also offers a
recorded message of all car seat check up events on the Front Range by calling
303-436-6910. Denver Health is part of CPS TEAM COLORADO.
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