PRINTER'S NO. 3220
No. 545 Session of 2004
INTRODUCED BY RUBLEY, ARGALL, BAKER, BALDWIN, BARRAR, BASTIAN,
BEBKO-JONES, BROWNE, CAPPELLI, CAUSER, CRAHALLA, CREIGHTON,
CRUZ, DENLINGER, DERMODY, DeWEESE, DONATUCCI, J. EVANS,
FABRIZIO, FAIRCHILD, FLEAGLE, FLICK, FORCIER, FRANKEL, GEIST,
GEORGE, GINGRICH, GOOD, GOODMAN, GRUCELA, HARHAI, HARPER,
HASAY, HERMAN, HERSHEY, HESS, JAMES, KELLER, KOTIK, LAUGHLIN,
LEDERER, MAJOR, MANN, MARSICO, McCALL, McGILL, S. MILLER,
MUSTIO, PALLONE, PAYNE, PICKETT, READSHAW, ROHRER, ROSS,
SAINATO, SANTONI, SATHER, SCAVELLO, SCHRODER, B. SMITH,
SOLOBAY, THOMAS, TIGUE, TURZAI, WASHINGTON, WATSON, WEBER AND
MELIO, JANUARY 28, 2004
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
JANUARY 28, 2004
A RESOLUTION
1 Declaring the week of February 8 through 14, 2004, as "Child
2 Passenger Safety Week" in Pennsylvania.
3 WHEREAS, Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death
4 for children of every age from 2 to 14 years of age; and
5 WHEREAS, Children under 15 years of age account for 1,543 of
6 all vehicle occupant fatalities and 227,000 of all the vehicle
7 occupant-injured crashes; and
8 WHEREAS, In the United States, an average of six children
9 from birth through 14 years of age were killed and 721 were
10 injured every day in motor vehicle crashes in 2002; and
11 WHEREAS, In 2002, fatalities for children who were three
12 years of age and younger declined by 5% and fatalities for
13 children who were between four and seven years of age declined
1 by 12% from 2001; and
2 WHEREAS, From 1975 through 2002, an estimated 6,567 lives
3 were saved by the use of child restraints. In 2002, an estimated
4 376 children who were under five years of age were saved as a
5 result of child restraint use. If 100% of motor vehicle
6 occupants under five years of age were protected by child safety
7 seats, an estimated 485 lives could have been saved, that is an
8 additional 109 lives saved if every child was restrained in
9 2002; and
10 WHEREAS, Research shows that children are likely to be
11 buckled 92% of the time when adults are buckled, and only 72% of
12 the time when adults are not buckled; and
13 WHEREAS, According to the National Highway Traffic Safety
14 Administration (NHTSA), child safety seats, when correctly used,
15 can reduce fatalities and are one of the most effective safety
16 innovations ever developed; and
17 WHEREAS, Child safety seats reduce the risk of fatal injury
18 by 71% for infants and by 54% for toddlers in passenger cars;
19 and
20 WHEREAS, All 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico
21 and the United States Territories have enacted laws requiring
22 the use of child passenger protection systems; and
23 WHEREAS, Many child passenger safety seats are misused in
24 some way and correct placement and harnessing are critical to
25 ensure adequate protection; and
26 WHEREAS, Infants should always be placed in rear-facing seats
27 until they are at least one year of age and weigh 20 pounds; and
28 WHEREAS, Children who weigh between 20 and 40 pounds should
29 be placed in forward-facing safety seats; and
30 WHEREAS, All children who have outgrown child safety seats
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1 should be properly restrained in booster seats until they are at
2 least eight years of age, unless they are four feet nine inches
3 tall; and
4 WHEREAS, Children in rear-facing child seats should not be
5 placed in the front seat of vehicles with passenger air bags as
6 the impact of a deploying air bag on a rear-facing child seat
7 could injure the child; and
8 WHEREAS, Children 12 years of age and younger should ride in
9 the back seat; and
10 WHEREAS, Death and injury may be significantly reduced
11 through greater public awareness, information, education and
12 enforcement of child passenger safety seat laws; therefore be it
13 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives, in recognition
14 of every child's right to adequate protection when being
15 transported in a motor vehicle, declare the week of February 8
16 through 14, 2004, as "Child Passenger Safety Week" in
17 Pennsylvania.
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