Child Safety

Michigan State Law just changed to require children under the age of 8 years old, under 4'9" and 80 pounds to be in a booster seat when restrained in a car. This is a big change from past years when the law only required those under the age of 4 years old to be in car seats. (Note: the map shown has not yet been updated to reflect the most current laws.)

Why the big change? Child safety! For the better? Yes!

Car seat belts are primarily designed for adult occupants. The laws of physics come into play for person of smaller stature (a.k.a. children) in a car accident. Improper placement of the belt and shoulder harness with respect to the neck and abdomen will result in severe injury and booster seats are designed to achieve the correct placement.

What ever happened to "integrated child seats" being installed in Chrysler and Volkswagen vehicles? Anton's Law put in place back in 2002 called for a study of integrated seats and the finding were less than optimal (see NHTSA report to Congress). It appears that one style of integrated seat could not meet the many size requirements of growing children and did not incorporate a rear-facing option. There has been little fanfare since 2005 for this idea. While integrated child seats add value for safety and delivery, the cost and quality (sizing) were not adequate. In today's automobile market, it is a much easier alternative to purchase aftermarket seats to ensure proper fit for children.

So why the law? Isn't it just common sense? To quote many people, "Common sense is not that common." The value of protecting children in a car crash seems indisputable and yet parents still need a law to remind them. The effectiveness of this law will be measured in the upcoming years by severity of injuries for children involved in automobile accidents and the quantity of citations issued for violation of the law.

The Kaizen opportunity still exists, how do we protect our children where there is no chance of mistake? How do we poka yoke automobile restraints? This will be an engineering challenge for years to come.