NC House lawmakers considering bill to update child care safety seat rules
COMPANY.
>> PARENTS LISTEN UP. THIS IS
AN IMPORTANT ONE BECAUSE THE
LAW COVERING CHILD SAFETY SEATS
IN CARS COULD BE CHANGING.
THERE'S A BILL EXPECTED TO GO
BEFORE THE STATE HOUSE THIS
WEEK AND IT WOULD UPDATE THE
RULES FOR WHEN CHILDREN CAN
RIDE WITHOUT A SAFETY SEAT.
WE HAVE WRAL, CAPITOL BUREAU
CHIEF LAURA LESLIE IS HERE TO
EXPLAIN SOME OF THE DETAILS
WITH PARENTS SHOULD KNOW WHO
ARE DOING. THIS COULD MEAN THAT
SOME KIDS WILL NEED TO GO BACK
INTO A BOOSTER SEAT OF THIS
BILL BECOMES LAW. A CURRENT
STATE LAW ON CHILD SAFETY SEATS
GOES BY A CHILD'S AGE OR WEIGHT
WHEN A CHILD REACHES 8 YEARS
OLD OR 80 POUNDS, REGARDLESS OF
HOW TALL THEY ARE UNDER CURRENT
LAW, THEY CAN USE A REGULAR
SEAT BELT INSTEAD OF A CHILD
SAFETY SEAT OR BOOSTER SEAT
BUT THAT DOESN'T TAKE INTO
ACCOUNT THE HEIGHT OF THE CHILD
HIGH IS REALLY IMPORTANT IN
TERMS OF HOW A SHOULDER SAFETY
BELT FIT. THINK ABOUT AMUSEMENT
RIDES, RIGHT? THEY GO BY HOW
TALL YOU ARE. NOT WHAT YOU
WEIGH. KIDS ARE GETTING BIGGER
AND HEAVIER THESE DAYS. AND
IT'S VERY POSSIBLE YOU COULD
HAVE A CHILD WHO WEIGHS 80
POUNDS. WHO ISN'T YET TALL
ENOUGH TO BE SAFELY RESTRAINED
BY A REGULAR SHOULDER BELT.
THE CHANGES WOULD SET THE LIMIT
AT 8 YEARS OLD OR 57 INCHES
TALL, REGARDLESS OF HOW MUCH A
CHILD WEIGHS IN. HIS PROPOSAL
IS LOOKING AT BOTH SIDES OF THE
SPECTRUM IS NOT JUST THE BIGGER
KIDS, BUT THE SMALLEST KIDS.
YEAH, THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT.
YOU KNOW, IN THE PAST CHILD
SAFETY ADVOCATES HAVE
RECOMMENDED FOR INFANTS TO RIDE
IN THE BACK IN A REAR-FACING
SEAT. BUT THE STATE HASN'T
REALLY REQUIRED THAT BY LAW.
NO WOOD NEWBORNS WOULD HAVE
TO BE SECURED IN A REAR-FACING
SEAT IN THE BACK SEAT. NEVER IN
THE FRONT SEAT OF A CAR WITH AN
ACTIVE PASSENGER AIRBAG SYSTEM
UNLESS THE CAR SEAT IS DESIGNED
TO WORK WITH A FINE AIR BAG.
ACCORDING TO THE MANUFACTURER
AND THE FEDERAL LEVEL AS A
CHILD, PASSENGERS GET OLDER,
THEY WOULD, OF COURSE, BE ABLE
TO TRANSITION TO FRONT FACING
SEATS AND BOOSTER SEATS
FOLLOWING THE FEDERAL LABELING
ON EACH CAR SEAT. DON'T MAKE
ANY CHANGES. JUST YET, THOUGH,
IF THE BILL PASSES THE HOUSE
THIS WEEK, IT WOULD STILL HAVE
TO PASS THE STATE SENATE AND
GET THE GOVERNOR'S APPROVAL