Michigan Child Safety in Cars
If you drive a car in Michigan you must make sure that you properly restrain children as specified under the state's child restraint law. In 1982, Michigan made child restraint devices compulsory for children under the age of four. While usage rates have increased since then, compliance and proper use are still areas of concern, according to a Wayne State University study on child passenger safety.
Other People Are Reading
-
Michigan's Child Restraint Law
-
Under Michigan law, you must restrain children who are seven years of age and younger and less than 4 feet 9 inches tall in an age-appropriate child restraint device. In scenarios where the number of children you are transporting is greater than the number of seat belts available in your vehicle, you will not be cited for the unrestrained youngsters. If your child is seven or under, but is taller than 4 feet 9 inches, Michigan permits adult seat belt use without the aid of a child restraint device. All passenger cars must comply with Michigan's child restraint law. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reports that the maximum fine for a first offense is $10.
Significance
-
According to a Wayne State University study conducted for Michigan's Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP), children between 12 and 47 months old seated in forward-facing child restraint devices were 78 percent less likely to suffer serious injury in a traffic crash compared to children restrained by a seat belt alone. The Wayne State report notes that eight children under the age of four died and 738 more in the same demographic were injured in automobile crashes in the state in 2006.
-
Child Restraint Usage
-
Despite Michigan's child restraint law, the Wayne State research team found that half of the kids under age four killed and over a quarter of those injured in 2006 were not using a child restraint device. The study author's hypothesize that "drivers' financial constraints or unfamiliarity with the Michigan [child restraint] law" could be major factors contributing to non-compliance. Overall, the child restraint usage rate among Michigan children under the age of four stood at 94.2 percent in 2009.
Proper Use
-
Michigan's child restraint law not only mandates child restraint use, it calls for proper use. Half of the sub-4-year old children who perished and nearly three-quarters who were injured in 2006 were secured in a child restraint device. The Wayne State researchers speculate that many of these children could have been improperly restrained, an assertion they call equally as "alarming" as the number of children who ride unrestrained. They back up their claim by citing past OHSP studies estimating child restraint misuse rates in Michigan at between 70 and 80 percent.
By Vehicle Type
-
The Wayne State study found differences in child restraint device usage rates for kids under four years old between vehicle types. Passenger cars, sport utility vehicles and vans or minivans came in at similar levels of compliance--94.2, 94.9 and 93.8 percent respectively. When observing pickup trucks in Michigan, however, the study's data collectors recorded a usage rate of just 82.8 percent.
-
References
- Photo Credit skipping rope. image by bluefern from Fotolia.com
