Good news! Update - Michigan Booster Law

[BookMama]

Originally Posted by Milkie&Cookie

It was me! LOL!

Yay! Good for you!

I thought it might have been a CPS advocate - you don't hear the general public cite the "race car" example very often, LOL.

[TerisBoys]

Yay!

Though I do wish it was an 8 AND 80 law. This means my ex's petite 7yo SD will be legal in Nov when she turns 8.

By petite - RYAN (5yo) is bigger than she is at 44" and 45# - she just outgrew the harness on a COSCO HBB by weight and is still under the top slots!

[Jeanum]

Blatantly swiping a AAA Michigan press release link, happily posted by BookMama on Baby Center and Coffee Break here earlier today, to announce the governor signed the Michigan booster bill into law this morning, hooray: http://www.streetinsider.com/Press+R...s/3492475.html

Per the press release, AAA is planning seat checks and informational handout kits to help inform parents/caregivers of the new law.

[BookMama]

For those who want something to send to other parents, here is a great informational page from Safe Kids Michigan (boy, they got this up nice and fast )

http://www.michigansafekids.org/newlaw.php#

[j4m4d8]

Wow! It finally happened. And I'm so happy they specified child restraint instead of booster; I wouldn't want to be ticketed by a well-meaning officer for having a five-year-old in a harnessed seat.

Does it bother anyone else that UMTRI reports in that AAA article that 5.1 percent of 4-8 year olds are using a child restraint when they should have been in a booster? Since they don't report any 4-8 year olds correctly using a child restraint, it makes me worry a bit about their research. Do they consider every 4 year old in a child restraint to be incorrectly restrained?

OK, sorry to get off track. I didn't see anything that addressed any of the other issues in Michigan's child restraint laws, but this is a biggie and I'll be happy to see most of my daughter's friends in boosters. My son's friends are mostly going to be 8 before July 1 if they aren't already, so I doubt there will be much change there.

But I still can't believe it!

Julie D.

[elle7715]

Originally Posted by j4m4d8

Does it bother anyone else that UMTRI reports in that AAA article that 5.1 percent of 4-8 year olds are using a child restraint when they should have been in a booster? Since they don't report any 4-8 year olds correctly using a child restraint, it makes me worry a bit about their research. Do they consider every 4 year old in a child restraint to be incorrectly restrained?

I wondered about that too. Or are they looking at the kids over 40 lbs in a carseat with a 40 lb limit?
Plus there are some 30 lb 4 year olds out there that really need to be in a harnessed seat. That magical 4th birthday shouldn't mean that they 'have' to move to a booster.

I'm SO, SO happy it passed though. I just hope it is enforced...

[monzogary]

Originally Posted by elle7715

I'm SO, SO happy it passed though. I just hope it is enforced...

I was thinking of printing out some handouts to give out at the girls' schools on Monday (on spring break right now). There are TONS of kids in Heather's elementary school who ride either with no booster, no seat belt, or in the front seat that it just makes me sick. Hopefully by next school year it will be better!

[elle7715]

Originally Posted by monzogary

I was thinking of printing out some handouts to give out at the girls' schools on Monday (on spring break right now). There are TONS of kids in Heather's elementary school who ride either with no booster, no seat belt, or in the front seat that it just makes me sick. Hopefully by next school year it will be better!

I was thinking the same thing, but for DD's SE preschool. There's this one little boy who rides to school propped up with pillows, using just a seatbelt. I asked the teachers to mention it but what else can you do? The morning class has 3-4 year olds and the afternoon class has 5-6 year olds. I was hoping to make up an info sheet and give the SafeKids website and this website. Can I do that?

Also, I just talked to the SafeKids Detroit chapter. They're doing a carseat check on May 3rd from 10-3 pm at the BRU near Great Lakes Crossing mall. I could put that on there too. I didn't see it on the SafeKids site but I remember the coordinator mentioning it so I called. They said they saw the bill signed this morning.

[Avery'sMama]

Mary- LMK if you want something from Safe Kids Livingston County to go home! I will be working on something to send to the schools in the coming weeks.