TULSA, Okla. — There's a new push to require your kids to always wear a seat belt on Oklahoma roads.
The state law currently says kids 8 or younger must wear a seat belt if they're riding in the back seat, however, the introduction of House Bill 2791 would change that.
A state representative recently announced plans to change the law to require kids 8 to 17 to also wear their seat belt while in the back seat.
If not, you could be fined $50.
Previous changes inadvertently took out the requirement, which is why experts say this change could save kids across the state .
"Head, neck, abdominal injuries, somebody under the age of 17 should not come in with certain injuries," said Krista Norrid, RN and injury prevention educator. "They should be prevented by a seat belt. I'm not saying a seat belt is 100 percent effective, but it is going to keep you, with the force of a car hitting each other and especially how fast you're going, it obviously has the capacity to safe your life.
Oklahoma ranks 50th in the nation for protecting children in car crashes and it's the leading cause of death and injury to ages 8 and older.
It's why for the past four years, AAA, Safe Kids Oklahoma and other traffic safety groups have worked to get a bill passed.
Oklahoma is also the only state where children that age are not protected with a seat belt law.
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