McKinley Students Learn Booster Seat Safety

McKinley students this morning learned how to remain safe while in the car, as traffic safety officials brought a pilot program about child booster seats to the school.

Stressing the importance of proper seatbelt usage for young children, officials showed the second and third graders what they should look when they are riding in a car. The workshop was conducted by representatives of Traffic Safety Projects, the state highway traffic safety division and the Union County police.

"We are trying to reach the older kids," Fred Lyle with the state highway traffic safety division said. "We want to teach the kids what a seatbelt is and what a booster seat does."

The workshop was one of two selected around the state as part of the pilot program which will be debuted as part of police curriculums in schools in the coming months. The Westfield workshop was the first followed by one in Camden County on Thursday. Officials worked with DARE Officer Gary Moore in coordinating the project.

The goal of the workshop is to let students know about the role booster seats play in protecting them. Designed to provide a better fit for children with regards to seatbelts, state law mandates they be used for children up until the age of eight years or when they reach 80 pounds, whichever comes first.

"What we are seeing is parents are using infant seats and seats for toddlers, but not booster seats," said Christine Headricks-Hasenauer, traffic safety coordinator for the county police.

Lyle said that while the law gives an age and weight requirement, there are other things to look for.

He said that it could be that a child does not fit a seatbelt even if they have reached the age and weight requirements. During the workshop the group used a car seat to demonstrate what kids should look for when they are riding in a car with a seatbelt.

Lyle said the belt needs to go over the shoulder and crossover the child's bones in the hip and waist area. The belt should not go over the fleshly areas of the body, like the stomach.

If a child is in a car with an illfitting seatbelt and the car is in an accident, the child risks greater injuries. Headricks-Hasenauer said with the belt resting on the fleshy areas, the injuries could include those to internal organs.

"Booster seats should be used with a lap/shoulder belt combo," she said.

During the workshop at McKinley, Lyle said they took a poll of students to see how many use booster seats, he said about half said they did, with the older students saying they used them less. He said this is common in what they've seen around the state. Headricks-Hasenauer said at the county police's car seat inspection station in Springfield, it is more common to see parents come in regarding seats for infants and toddlers than children.

The officials said the goal of this program is to reduce the amount of non use of the booster seats. They said the program will include police officers who are trained safety seat educators conducting workshops in schools and to other groups to boost awareness of the booster seats.

"Kids are getting hurt and we are able to identify why they are getting hurt," Joseph Colella from Traffic Safety Projects said of the program.