SIKESTON -- While children may be old enough, they still may not weigh enough or be tall enough to buckle up and skip the booster or car seat.
Missouri law requires all children under the age of 8 to be in an appropriate child safety seat or booster seat unless they are 80 pounds or 4'9" tall.
National Child Passenger Safety Week is Sept. 17-23, and the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety wants to ensure all caregivers of young children know the importance of buckling children in an appropriate child restraint. Motorists can also expect increased enforcement of Missouri's child seat safety laws during this campaign.
Sikeston Department of Public Safety is joining with other law enforcement agencies for an aggressive Child Passenger Safety Week Law Enforcement Campaign to crack down on Missouri's child safety seat law violators and to reduce highway fatalities and injuries to children.
Car crashes are the No. 1 killer of kids. Booster seat use reduces the risk of serious injury by 45 percent for children aged 4-8 years when compared with seat belt use alone.
Regular child safety seat and safety belt use is the single most effective way to protect people and reduce fatalities in motor vehicle crashes.
In 2016, 18 children less than 8 years of age were killed and 47 suffered injuries as occupants in motor vehicle crashes in Missouri. Twenty-nine percent of the children killed were not restrained in a car seat or safety belt.
"All parents and caregivers need to understand the importance of booster seats. It's not just about following the law -- booster seats help prevent serious injury and may even save your child's life," said Bill Whitfield, chair of the executive committee for the coalition.
Serious injuries can result from improperly fitted safety belts, particularly for children ages four through seven who are secured only in a regular safety belt during a crash, he said. These injuries are commonly known as "seat belt syndrome," which are often life-threatening or disabling injuries. Booster seats help prevent this syndrome from occurring by raising the child up so the lap and shoulder belt fits them properly.
"We are urging everyone to get their child safety seats inspected," said Whitfield. "When it comes to the safety of a child, there is no room for mistakes."