Mother fights for booster seat law

It could have been deadly.

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Without her booster seat, 5-year-old Madison Harty could have been a human missile shot from her family's minivan in an accident last summer.

Georgia law doesn't require parents to put 5-year-olds in booster seats. But Madison was safely strapped into one when the Harty family was driving on Georgia Highway 308 near Atlanta in July. A Chevrolet Blazer, which was trying to avoid a logging truck, struck their minivan. The impact nearly shaved off the left side of the Harty's vehicle. Emergency workers said Madison was saved by her booster seat.

When Jenny Harty realized what could have happened to her daughter, she decided to tell the world.

"I have been talking ever since the fall," the Alpharetta mother said. "I'm just a mother with a story to tell."

Mrs. Harty came to Augusta on Tuesday to talk to the Safe Communities Coalition about the bill she wants the Georgia Legislature to pass. She wants Georgia to join 14 other states and the District of Columbia, which require booster seats for children younger than 7. The current law requires them for children younger than 5.

She says her research shows that 83 percent of children ages 4 to 8 are restrained in an adult safety seat, which doesn't properly secure small children.

Georgia Rep. Mark Burkhalter, R-Alpharetta, is expected to introduce the bill next week.

Mrs. Harty said some day-care centers and parents may object to the law because of expense. But the cost is minimal, she said. "The cheapest booster seat is $20. That's a tank of gas."

At Tuesday's meeting, she received a warm welcome from the coalition, which works to reduce crash-related fatalities and injuries.

"I commend you for your fight," said Sylvia Thompson, a child-passenger-safety instructor at the University of Georgia. "Normally, when we have an advocate for something, it's after the sad loss of a loved one."

Mrs. Harty wants to prevent anyone from losing a relative. Her bill has obtained the endorsement of more than 20 organizations.

"We have to protect the children," she said.

Reach Greg Rickabaugh at (706) 828-3851 or greg.rickabaugh@augustachronicle.com.