[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 12 (Tuesday, February 12, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H254-H255]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  COMMENDING NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION REGARDING 
                  NATIONAL CHILD PASSENGER SAFETY WEEK

  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 326) commending the National 
Highway Traffic Safety Administration for their efforts to remind 
parents and care givers to use child safety seats and seat belts when 
transporting children in vehicles and for sponsoring National Child 
Passenger Safety Week.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 326

       Whereas great progress has been made in increasing the use 
     of child safety seats in vehicles, which has reduced the 
     number of deaths of children involved in traffic accidents, 
     but much more remains to be done;
       Whereas more than half of all children killed in motor 
     vehicle crashes in 2000 were completely unrestrained;
       Whereas motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of 
     death for children ages 4 to 14;
       Whereas child safety seats reduce fatal injury by 71 
     percent for infants and by 54 percent for toddlers in 
     passenger cars; and
       Whereas the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 
     sponsors National Child Passenger Safety Week, February 10 
     through 16, 2002, to help remind parents and care givers that 
     all children should be placed in child safety seats every 
     time they ride in a car or truck: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That the Congress commends the National Highway 
     Traffic Safety Administration for its efforts to remind 
     parents and care givers to use child safety seats and seat 
     belts when transporting children in vehicles and for 
     sponsoring National Child Passenger Safety Week, February 10 
     through 16, 2002.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Wisconsin (Mr. Petri) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Borski) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri).
  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge strong support for this timely resolution. This 
noncontroversial resolution praises the National Highway Traffic Safety 
Administration for its efforts to remind parents and care givers to use 
child safety seats and seat belts. It is fitting that the House 
consider this resolution this week. February 10 through 16 is National 
Child Passenger Safety Week. In fact, our action today is what National 
Child Passenger Safety Week is all about, raising public awareness for 
this important issue.
  On June 27, 2001, nearly 8 months ago, the House passed the extension 
of the Child Passenger Protection Education Grant program, H.R. 691, 
offered by the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar). While this 
legislation is yet to be considered by the other body, the program was 
fully funded this budget year. This valuable program actually prevents 
deaths and injuries to children. It educates parents as to the proper 
installation of child restraints, and it trains child passenger safety 
personnel concerning child restraint use. The gentleman from Minnesota 
has crafted good legislation, and it would be fitting for its 
consideration and passage by the other body this week during National 
Child Passenger Safety Week.
  As necessary as the resources H.R. 691 will provide to the States, 
the job of raising public awareness is important. With motor vehicle 
crashes being the leading cause of death for children between the ages 
of 4 to 14, more must be done. Private involvement must be an active 
component in a successful campaign.
  With that in mind, I would like to highlight a relatively new 
program, that by the Chrysler Motor Corporation, called Fit for a Kid. 
In this program, a parent can bring their car, regardless of its make, 
to a participating dealer to learn how to properly fit their child 
seat. This program, and others like it, are critical elements aimed to 
raise awareness and increase child protection knowledge.
  Federal funds coupled with awareness campaigns, both complemented by 
fitting stations, will be vital as we work toward reducing child 
fatalities. I would like to thank the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. 
Camp) for his well-timed resolution and ask that my colleagues support 
the passage of House Concurrent Resolution 326.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, in the last 25 years, the Nation has made significant 
gains in child passenger safety. Since then, more than 4,800 children's 
lives have been saved because of child restraint systems. While the 
fatality rate for children has decreased steadily, due to population 
increases and a doubling of highway miles traveled, the number of 
deaths has not dropped as rapidly. In the year 2000 alone, 2,343 
children under the age of 14 were killed and 291,000 were injured in 
highway crashes. This is a record we can and must improve upon.
  Without doubt, the single most effective way to protect our children 
in the event of a crash is to ensure that all children are buckled up 
in appropriate restraint systems on every trip. Children aged 2 to 5 
who use seat belts rather than child safety seats are 3\1/2\ times more 
likely to be injured in a crash and four times more likely to receive a 
significant head injury. That is why it is important to remind parents 
that all children should be placed in child safety seats, booster 
seats, or seat belts every time they ride in a car or truck. That is 
why I strongly support this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, we can do more. Federal grant in aid programs are 
available to help States reduce the toll of death and

[[Page H255]]

injury on the Nation's highways. In fiscal year 2000, my own State of 
Pennsylvania received $323,000 in child passenger protection education 
grant funds to establish child passenger safety fitting stations in all 
State police barracks and increase the awareness of rural and minority 
populations in the State. In fiscal year 2001, the State used its funds 
to purchase 17 mobile fitting stations, fund child passenger safety 
courses, and develop new materials to promote child passenger safety 
among health and medical personnel.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to compliment the author of the legislation, the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Camp); the distinguished ranking member of 
the full committee, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar); the 
chairman of the full committee, the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young); 
and the chairman of our subcommittee, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. 
Petri) for their support of this legislation to help us preserve our 
Nation's most precious resource, our children.
  Mr. Speaker, I support the concurrent resolution and urge its 
approval.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Rogers).
  Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Camp) for bringing this issue to the 
forefront. This is extremely important. I know sometimes we can get 
here and we can espouse statistics and we can talk about for every 
dollar on a car seat it is $32 saved in the end run. But there is no 
more believer in this than me.
  I thought these programs, quite frankly, a few years ago really were 
not worth the paper they were printed on. I was driving into a local 
one to help support it in my community, before the safety seats became 
kind of chic; and as I went in, the woman who was there showed me what 
was going on, showed me some of the seats they had confiscated, and 
showed me some of the numbers of the improperly installed and said, 
``Can I look at yours?'' I had a 2-year-old son at the time. I said, 
``No thanks. I'm all set. I read the directions. I'm in good shape.'' 
She was a pretty persuasive woman. She brings me into the bay and after 
about 3 minutes said, ``Not only is this in wrong, it is probably the 
worst one I have seen today.''
  This can happen to any of us. It can happen to all of us. I sponsored 
an event in my district through the National Safe Kids, we have a 
Michigan Safe Kids organization, they do phenomenal work, all by 
volunteers, an incredible group of people. Just that day we had some 
staggering results. We had 200 people show up. Over 80 seats were 
confiscated because they were defective. Eighty. It is a very sobering 
thing as you walk down the line of those car seats and realize that 
those parents were doing everything they possibly could to make their 
children safe, not realizing that they were putting them in a seat that 
might in fact cause injury.
  We had a very touching case beyond that. I know these things work. 
About 2 weeks after that particular event, a woman came up and grabbed 
my arm as I was walking in the grocery store and with tears in her eyes 
related the story of not only had she been told at that particular 
event that her seat was improper but the way they were strapping her 
young grandchild in, it was across the child's neck and may have caused 
injury in a serious accident. Two weeks following that event, her car 
was hit so hard the car spun at a 180-degree turn with her grandchild 
in the automobile. The grandchild is fine. His name is Zach. We post 
Zach around my district and around mid-Michigan as exactly the reason 
that we can show one life for sure and we know thousands of others are 
saved because of the awareness of this issue.
  Four out of five child safety seats are in wrong today. For those of 
you who are watching and you believe that you are doing everything 
right at home, trust me, the odds are against you that your safety seat 
is in correctly.

                              {time}  1545

  I cannot stress how important this is. I want to thank again the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Camp) for his leadership, and the chairman 
for his. I appreciate it. Also, thanks to the National Safe Kids 
Campaign for all they do.
  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
author of the legislation before us, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. 
Camp), to conclude debate on our side on this measure.
  Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me time and 
for his leadership in bringing this legislation to the floor. I also 
want to thank my colleague the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Rogers) for 
his comments and advocacy of this resolution as well.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution will bring awareness to National Child 
Passenger Safety Week. A recent survey, as my colleague from Michigan 
said, found that almost every driver believes that they have installed 
their child's safety seat correctly. However, almost 80 percent of the 
seats for children under 8 are improperly installed, and that means 
most parents do not even realize that they have installed the seats 
wrong.
  Obviously, the benefits from proper restraint are proven when child 
safety seats reduce fatal injuries by 71 percent for infants and 54 
percent for toddlers in passenger cars, and for light trucks it reduces 
fatal injury by nearly 60 percent.
  The consequences of not restraining children are all too clear. More 
than half of all children under 15 years old killed in car crashes in 
the year 2000 were completely unrestrained. Small children ages from 2 
to 5 who are placed in seat belts rather than child safety seats or 
booster seats are 3.5 times more likely to be significantly injured in 
the event of a crash.
  Great progress has been made in increasing the use of child safety 
seats and booster seats, and that progress has decreased the deaths 
among children and serious injury among children in car and truck 
crashes. But much more remains to be done.
  I urge my colleagues to vote yes on this resolution and remind 
parents, caregivers and baby-sitters alike that we know how best to 
protect children when they travel.
  Mr. BORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Simpson). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri) that the House 
suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 
326.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mr. BORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a 
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not 
present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8, rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

                          ____________________