New Child Booster Seat Law Effective July 1, 2011

Governor Nathan Deal signed into law Senate Bill 88.  This legislation, introduced as SB 88 in the Senate by Senator Jeff Mullis and as HB 279 in the House by Representative Alan Powell, will require children to be properly restrained in a child passenger safety restraint device until they are 8 years of age. 

In 2008, a total of 14,154 children ages 6-8 years in Georgia were involved in motor vehicle crashes.  Of those children, 1,755 were injured and 10 were killed.  Only 12% of these children were reported to be using a supplemental restraint, such as a child safety seat or a booster seat, in addition to the adult seat belt.

"Children's Healthcare of Atlanta came to me and said during the last four years 95 percent of the patients they saw for injuries resulting from a motor vehicle crash between the ages of 6 and 8 were improperly restrained," said Georgia's State Senator Jeff Mullis.  "I believe it is our responsibility to protect our children and when there is an obvious problem, we need to fix it."

A child is exempted from the law if one of the following is true:

 ·         He/she is at least 4 feet, 9 inches tall. 

·         He/she has a written statement from a physician for a medical condition. 

·         He/she weighs 40 pounds or more, AND the available lap and shoulder belts are being used to properly restrain other children. 

·         He/she weighs 40 pounds or more, AND the vehicle is not equipped with both lap and shoulder belts.

Representative Alan Powell also helped ensure passage of this legislation. "Protecting children is one of the most important jobs we legislators are elected to do.  Seat belts in today's vehicles are made for adult bodies" said Powell.  "Booster seats, are positioning devices that help elevate a child to the proper height. I've seen data that says booster seats used with a seat belt will lower injury risk by 59% compared with belts alone." The new law is set to become effective on July 1, 2011.

The state Department of Transportation, which has been providing real-time travel updates since the mid-1990s, rolled out the next generation of its Georgia Navigator 511 program in April. A mobile app will update smart phone users on highway conditions wherever they are in metro Atlanta. The new mobile app will make it easier to plan trips, avoid problem areas and reach destinations more quickly and safely.

"This program is fully supported by advertising revenue, the app also will help further the state's commitment to running the program without turning to taxpayers," DOT Commissioner Vance Smith said.

"The purpose is to save people time, cut down on the number and magnitude of backups and traffic jams and save as much gasoline and exhaust emissions as possible," said Jim Overstreet, co-owner of the firm who developed the 511Live mobile app.

Avoid Traffic Jams and Backups

The new 511Live mobile app will use GPS technology to keep information relevant to the driver using the service.  It will also include weather reports and information on where construction activity is taking place. 

For now, free downloads of 511Live are available only at iTunes for iPhone. Android and BlackBerry apps will be offered soon.

New Service:  Mist Air Duct Cleaning 

The service is designed to remove mold pollen and other harmful allergens present in the ventilation system of your car.

The cost of the Mist Air Duct Cleaning service ranges from $183.00 - $223.00 and includes replacing the A/C cabin air filters.  Or you can perform the Mist Air Duct Cleaning service when the A/C cabin filters are replaced with a major service. The additional cost is $66.00. 

If you have questions call Nick at 770-427-1745 or visit Mist Healthy Air .