When it comes to child safety, there’s a surprising statistic travelling Ontario’s highways and byways every day. Of the total number of children who should be seated in a booster seat when they ride in a vehicle, more than 70 percent do not, resulting in an increased risk of injury in the event of collisions or sudden stops. Because the seat belts in passenger vehicles are designed for adults and older children, smaller children can be seriously injured by the very equipment designed to keep them safe. As part of the OPP seatbelt campaign and National Passenger Safety Week, the Middlesex-London Health Unit and its Child Safety Coalition partners are highlighting the importance of booster seat use.
In the Middlesex-London region, motor vehicle collisions are the leading cause of unintentional injury and are the number one cause of death for children under the age of 14.
“Standard seatbelts are designed for adults and not kids; so while parents and caregivers may think their child is ready to ride in the car without a booster seat, they may be exposing them to potential harm,” says Meagan Melling, Public Health Nurse with the Middlesex-London Health Unit’s Healthy Communities and Injury Prevention Team. “By raising a child up, booster seats place the seatbelt correctly on the child’s body, reducing the risk of serious crash-related injuries and potential tragedies.”
Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act requires that children must use a booster seat if they are:
• under 145 cm (4 feet 9 inches) tall,
• weigh less than 36 kg (80 lbs),
• and are under the age of eight.
While the Act’s recommendations are minimum requirements, the Health Unit recommends children use booster seats until they reach a height of 145 cm (4 feet 9 inches) tall or have a sitting height of 74 cm (29 inches).
Please Note: Media are invited to attend a booster seat event at Rick Hansen Public School, located at 70 Ponderosa Crescent in London on Wednesday, September 20th, between 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Representatives from the London Police Service, Middlesex OPP, the London Fire Department, Middlesex EMS, London Health Sciences Centre, and the Thames Valley District School Board will be on-hand to talk to parents about the importance of having their children use a booster seat.
To find out more about booster seats and other safety information, please visit: http://www.healthunit.com/booster-seats.
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 and Injury Prevention Team