On November 18, the Senate approved, by unanimous consent, legislation (H.R. 5504) to establish transportation safety standards for child restraints, clearing the measure for the President’s signature. The House passed the bill on November 13 (see The Source, 11/15/02).
Sponsored by Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL), the bill requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to set standards for automobile child restraint systems, including booster seats, for children weighing more than 50 pounds. The legislation also requires DOT to develop a crash test dummy that simulates a 10-year-old child.
H.R. 5504 authorizes $5 million for the DOT to evaluate built-in child restraints and booster seats and to research the nature and causes of injury to children involved in motor vehicle crashes.
