But Anton had slipped out of the lap-shoulder belt and been ejected through the door, which had sprung open upon impact. He was killed instantly. Thanks to intense lobbying by Skeen, Washington state recently enacted legislation that will require all children to be placed in booster seats until they are 6 years old or 60 pounds. Washington is the first state to mandate booster seats. That law will go into effect in July, 2002.
Experts hope that Washington sets the example for other states.
According to a 1998 survey conducted by the National Safe Kids Campaign, only 5 percent of the children who should be in booster seats are buckled up. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 500 children are killed every year in fatal car wrecks. Experts say that number would dramatically decrease if children were properly restrained. Like most safety experts, traffic safety specialist Bob Wall warns that there is no safer alternative than the booster seat for kids between the ages of 4 to 8 years old. Have them think of it as a small person's captain's chair.