"Save the Dream" package - (MP3- 3MB)

Governor Granholm's "Save the Dream" Legislation Will Help Families Threatened by Mortgage Foreclosure Granholm Signs Booster Seat Legislation to Protect Michigan's Children Governor Signs Legislation Giving Citizens New Ways to Support Local Zoo Funding

Last week, I signed legislation that will require the use of approved booster seats for children between the ages of four and eight and less than 4 feet 9 inches tall. The bill takes effect July 1.

By signing this bill into law, we are protecting Michigan's most important resource – our children. We know that the single best way we can protect our kids while riding in vehicles is to buckle them in properly. It's a simple step but a big "boost" for our kids' safety.

Current law requires children under age four to ride in an infant or child car seat. The new law extends the requirement to include older children who also are not optimally protected by seat belts alone.

Partners for Child Passenger Safety (PCPS) conducts the world's largest ongoing study of children in crashes and analyzes actual crash data from 16 states, including Michigan. PCPS reports that the risk of injury for a 4 to 8 year-old child is reduced by 59 percent when using a car seat or booster seat. Children in seat belts alone are four times more likely to suffer head/brain injuries as compared to those in booster seats. States that have passed similar laws also have determined that child restraint use increases dramatically when required by law.

I also urged the Legislature to take quick action on a bill that will make it possible to make free booster seats available to low income families. For more information on child passenger safety, visit www.michigansafekids.org.

> more information