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Booster Seats:
An Urgent Need for Preschoolers Part One
By Brenda Ruggiero
The very next day, Guarino was grateful that she took the advice to heart. "I had just picked him up at school and we were heading for Grandma's house. Not far from there, a big dump truck ran a stop sign and hit us on the passenger side -- witnesses said it opened the side of our van like a can of sardines. The truck ended up with its front end inside our mini van, and Stephen's right foot was resting up against the bumper of the truck. Unfortunately, that side of the mini van, window and all, collapsed down on his head. But the whole point is that he was buckled up properly into his booster seat, so he wasn't thrown out of it. Several policemen who investigated the collision said that if he was not in a booster seat, they don't see how he could have survived the crash."
Since that incident, booster seats have become a main priority for Guarino. Besides working on legislation for booster seat laws, she has become a certified safety seat educator, speaking at schools, clubs and churches. In addition, she volunteers at safety seat checks to help save children from unnecessary injuries.
Once the child outgrows the safety seat, booster seats are needed to fill in the gap until the child is big enough for a regular seat belt. Generally, this is when the child is about 80 pounds and around 4 feet, 9 inches tall (usually between the ages of 4 and 8).