Policy

AZTrACC has endorsed upcoming legislation requiring booster seats for all children under 4'9" tall if they are under 9 years of age.

It is important to understand why this legislation is necessary. First, Arizona law currently requires children to be restrained -- but inadequately. A seat belt law for children is already in effect. Unfortunately, this results is small children being placed in seat belts which fail to protect them in the event of an accident.

Safety belts are designed to brace a passenger across specific points at the moment of impact. On small children, however, seat belts fail to consistently brace these points. Small children will sometimes even have the belt cross their stomach. As the force of impact sends the child forward at a high speed, the seat belt across the abdomen first ruptures the intestine like a balloon. The child then folds over the seat belt and snaps the spine causing permanent paralysis. A Booster Seat allows the back seat restraint to make contact over the child's pelvic bones and chest. This allows the child to be secure at the moment of impact without intestinal pressure or the spine bending inappropriately over a lap belt. Please join AZTrACC, the Arizona Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, AAA, and many others in changing the law to make our children safer