Little Ones Under The Scrutiny Of Law

A new law for kids! Parents need to pay heed. The new booster seat law signed by Governor Deval Patrick almost ninety days back, implements today onwards( July 10) in Massachusetts. According to the new law children below 8 must ride in either car seats or booster seats.

The main reason behind the implementation of the law is to ensure safety of a child passenger. The booster seat provides a belt across the child's waist and shoulder. Also, the law will be valid in case of those children who are shorter than 4 feet 9 inches.

The belt that goes halfway up the midsection or neck is not safe enough for the children below 8 at the same time the booster seat belt can hold the child steadfastly.

Those who violate the law would be imposed a fine of $25.

The current law required children below 5 or who weighed less than 40 pounds to be in the car seats. The new booster seat law reinstates the requirement of weight with the requirement of height.

Since the law is a primary enforcement law, the police can stop any car in case they see a young one is not sitting properly with the belts tied up in his/her booster seat.

Lieutenant Eric Anderson, a State Police spokesman affirms that "this really is a booster seat law. ... It's covering that transition period between the child safety seats and the adult belts."

If kids are not properly controlled or seated well, it's a "deadly situation" both for the kid and the parent, Anderson said. "We're looking to make sure the kids in the Commonwealth are safe, that's our real goal."

As said by the State Police, as per statistics children between the ages of 3 to 14 mainly loose life in traffic accidents. Using seat belt can cut down the risk of a serious injury or even death by 50 percent in an accident.

It was revealed in a survey conducted last year that seat belts were used only by 69 percent of front seater's in Massachusetts while the national usage rate was 82 percent.

"The purpose of this law is to save children’s lives," stated Senator Steven A. Baddour, (D-Methuen), the bill’s sponsor and Chair of the Joint Committee on Transportation.

"We must continue to educate parents about how they can protect their kids in the case of an accident – something I think any parent would do if they truly knew of the risks involved without booster seats" Baddour professed.