London, ON – More than 70 percent of children who should be seated in a booster seat when riding in a car, minivan or pickup truck aren’t, exposing them to potential injuries. That statistic, along with concerns about incorrect booster seat use, has prompted the Child Safety Coalition of Middlesex-London to tell parents and caregivers that proper booster seat use is critical to the safety of their children.
The booster seat event gets underway at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 1st and runs until 12:00 noon at the Stronach Arena and Community Centre, located at 1221 Sandford Street. In an effort to drive the message home, representatives from the Child Safety Coalition, London Police Services and Middlesex Fire Department, will be in attendance to talk to parents about the importance of having their children use a booster seat until they are the right weight and height to use a seat belt alone.
“We want to help parents understand just how important it is to use booster seats and how they protect their kids from serious crash-related injuries, which is why we’ve decided to bring our message to where many parents will be on Saturday morning,” says Meagan Melling, Public Health Nurse with the Middlesex-London Health Unit’s Healthy Communities Injury Prevention Team. “About seven in 10 children who should use booster seats, don’t – even though these devices correct the fit of seatbelts by raising the child up in the seat, reducing the risk of serious injuries that could happen in a crash,”
Under Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act children must use a booster seat if they are:
- Under 4 feet 9 inches (145 cm) tall, or
- Weigh less than 80lbs (36 kg), or
- Are under the age of eight.
The Highway Traffic Act recommendations are minimum requirements, so it is best for children to use a booster seat until they reach the seat manufacturer’s height and/or weight limits.
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children between the ages of one and 14 years of age; in Middlesex-London vehicle collisions are the leading cause of unintentional injury in all age groups.
Visit http://www.healthunit.com/booster-seats for more information about booster seats and other safety information.
Media Contact:
Dan Flaherty, Communications Manager, Middlesex-London Health Unit, 519-663-5317 ext. 2469 or 519-617-0570 (cell)
Spokesperson:
Meagan Melling, Public Health Nurse, Healthy Communities Injury Prevention Team