TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Parents in Florida are currently required to keep their children in booster or car seats until they turn 5 years old.
For a decade, the federal government has recommended that age 7 be the cutoff for these seats. But even a compromise that would raise the age to 6 hasn’t gone anywhere in the Florida Legislature.
Raising the age limit from 5 to 6 is a move supported by science.
“In an accident, all of the deceleration goes against the strongest parts of the body,” said Dave Cullen with the Advocacy Institute for Children.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly half of all auto deaths for children ages 8 to 12 were because the children weren’t restrained. The rate falls to 36 percent for children ages 4 to 7.
Few oppose the idea of raising the age requirement, at least publicly.
But for a decade, an effort to raise the limit from 5 years old to 6 has languished, even though age 6 is one year below federal recommendations for booster and car seats.
Cullen explained the argument opponents have used against the legislation.
“Children are their parents’ responsibility,” he said. “And it is the parents’ ability to have freedom to do whatever they want with their children.”
The Florida Senate is already moving quickly to pass the legislation down to the more reluctant House, where it has died in years past. But State Sen. Keith Perry, the bill’s Senate sponsor, is optimistic things could change this year.
“Talk to the trauma surgeons and the trauma doctors and they tell you about how easily this injury could have been prevented,” Perry said.
He said the biggest challenge will be educating parents on the changes if the age limit is increased.
“‘Hey, we’ve done the research, we’ve done the studying. This is good for you and good for your kid,’” Perry said.
He also pointed out child restraints are available from private groups for parents struggling to make ends meet.
Violating the state’s current child seat requirements could cost parents a $60 fine plus court costs. The fine will not change if the bill becomes law.