The National Transportation Safety Board called upon
Arizona, Florida and South Dakota to join the rest of the
country by passing booster seat legislation, as has been
recommended by the Board since 1996, according to a recent NTSB press release. The U.S. territories
of American Samoa and Puerto Rico also lack booster seat
laws for children.
"This coming week the nation observes National Child
Passenger Safety Week (September 12-18) with child safety
seat checks and other events throughout the United States
designed to educate and alert adults to the importance of
keeping our littlest passengers safe." said Chairman Deborah
A.P. Hersman. "Unfortunately, there are three states and two
U.S. territories that still do not mandate booster seats for
children." Hersman continued, "My colleagues and I hope that
2010 is the year that these legislatures will adopt this
best practice and increase our young children's safety in
cars across this entire country."
Improve Child Occupant Protection has been on the Safety
Board's Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety
Improvements since 1997. Earlier this year Alaska,
Minnesota, Ohio, Texas, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands
enacted booster seat legislation, bringing the total to 47
states and three territories (the Northern Mariana Islands,
Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands) that mandate booster
seats, though only 26 states (including all four states that
enacted laws in 2009 and the new booster seat law in New
York, which improved its booster seat law) mandate their use
through age 7, as the Board recommended.
Additional information about the NTSB's Most Wanted List can
be found on the NTSB website athttp://www.ntsb.gov/Recs/mostwanted/index.htm.
NTSB urges Arizona, Florida and South Dakota to enact child booster seat legislation (9/15)