Motorists could be prosecuted for any injuries sustained by children who aren’t in a safety seat, under new legislation in the Ohio House of Representatives.
House Bill 480, introduced last week, would also allow law enforcement to pull over drivers if they spot any passengers younger than age 15 who aren’t buckled or strapped in their seat.
Ohio currently requires passengers younger than age 4 to ride in a safety seat, most kids younger than 8 to use a booster seat, and children between 8 and 15 years old to use a safety seat or seat belt.
However, if a child is injured or killed as a result of not being in a car seat, state law gives the driver immunity from prosecution.
State Rep. Dorothy Pelanda, the Marysville Republican sponsoring HB 480, said such immunity takes the teeth out of Ohio’s child-restraint law.
Pelanda’s bill would also make it a primary offense for motorists not to buckle their children in. Right now, police who see child-restraint violations – or, for that matter, catch adults not wearing their seat belts – can’t stop the driver unless they notice another problem.
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