House Votes to Encourage Use of Child Safety Seats


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Ray Carter, House Media
Capitol: (405) 557-7421

Contact: State Rep. Thad Balkman
Capitol: (405) 557-7386
District: (405) 447-4988

House Votes to Encourage Use of Child Safety Seats

OKLAHOMA CITY (April 5) - The Oklahoma House of Representatives voted
Tuesday to encourage parents to use child safety seats by raising the
fine for those who do not place children in the devices.
Senate Bill 799, by State Sen. Clark Jolley and State Rep. Thad
Balkman, would raise the fine not using a child passenger restraint seat
from $10 to $50.
"As a father of four small kids, I use a car seat every day and
I see firsthand the need for that action to make sure my children are
safe," said Balkman, R-Norman. "I think most Oklahomans agree and this
provides a greater incentive for parents to secure their children."
Safety advocates praised lawmakers for voting to increase the fine.
"The good news is that we're up to 80 percent car seat usage in
Oklahoma, but that last 20 percent is going to be a real challenge,"
said Martha Collar, coalition coordinator for Oklahoma Safe Kids. "For
that last 20 percent, I think it might take a citation to get
compliance."
According to the Department of Public Safety, there were 5,705
convictions for failure to use a child passenger restraint system in
2004.
However, officials believe the number of violations may have
been much larger than the number of convictions since the cost of
processing a citation is greater than the fine generated. The $10 fine
for failure to comply with the child restraint law is one of the two
lowest fines in Oklahoma statutes.
As a result, supporters believe a higher fine will increase both
enforcement and compliance, noting that when California raised its fine,
compliance increased to 95 percent.
Money generated by the fine, an estimated $228,000 per year,
will be used to provide free or low-cost child safety seats to parents
across Oklahoma.
On average, 20 children younger than age eight die in motor
vehicle crashes each year in Oklahoma and another 900 are hospitalized.
Approximately 75 percent of those children are unrestrained, officials
said.
Senate Bill 799 passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives on
a 93-3 vote and will now return to the state Senate. The bill previously
passed the Senate on a 40-5 vote.
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