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Pa. Legislature toughens rules for child car seats

Pa. Legislature toughens rules for child car seats

By the time they head off for summer vacations, some Pennsylvania parents might have to comply with stricter car-seat rules for their children.

A bill on its way to Gov. Tom Wolf would require children to ride in rear-facing car seats until age 2. Those who outgrow the height and weight requirements designated by the car-seat manufacturer would be exempted.

Current state laws require drivers to secure children under 4, but do not specify which direction the car seats must face.

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The bill, which advocates say would help keep children safer in accidents, cruised to approval Monday in the House of Representatives. Pennsylvania would become the fourth state to enact the requirement.

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It was not immediately clear whether Mr. Wolf would sign the bill. A spokesman for the governor could not be reached Monday.

The bill’s author, Rep. Mike Schlossberg, D-Lehigh, said he hoped it would clear up any confusion for parents and prevent injury or death for Pennsylvania's youngest residents.

“This [bill] gets personal for me,” said Mr. Schlossberg, who has two children under age 6.

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“It's personal for me because of my kids and the countless other parents who just don’t realize just how easily one small mistake with a car seat can endanger their lives. By keeping your kids in rear-facing car seats as long as possible, it reduces their risk of injury and protects their life in the event of an accident.”

The American Academy for Pediatrics revised its car-seat safety recommendations in 2011 to advise parents to keep children in a rear-facing seat until age 2 or until they exceed the seat’s height and weight requirements, citing added support for a child’s head, neck and spine.

Mr. Schlossberg authored the bill, but state Sen. Pat Browne, R-Lehigh, the bill's primary sponsor, did much of the legwork to get the bill to the governor’s desk, Mr. Schlossberg said.

The bipartisan effort was supported by the Pennsylvania AAA Federation, which lobbied for the bill’s passage, Mr. Schlossberg said. Like the American Academy of Pediatrics, AAA also recommends children be secured in a rear-facing seat until the age of 2.

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If enacted, the law would be enforced as a secondary offense, meaning drivers would be cited only for a car-seat violation if pulled over for another offense.

In the first year, drivers would not be cited but would instead receive a warning, Mr. Schlossberg said.

If Mr. Wolf signs the bill, it will take effect in 60 days.

First Published: May 24, 2016, 4:00 a.m.

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