With the school year just beginning, Senator Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr. is currently offering copies of his free safe driving tips brochure. The reader has safety tips for drivers and students concerning school bus safety and proper road rules in regards to school buses.

The brochure has information about how to approach a school bus that has its red lights flashing and where to stop when coming upon a stopped school bus. It also contains summaries of recent changes in the law, such as who may operate a school bus and the operating rules of the bus fleet, that are aimed at further protecting the students who ride these buses.

"As adults, we carry a heavy burden when we approach a stopped school bus and we must all make an extra effort to make this as safe as possible for the students," stated Fuschillo. "Children go to school to learn how to be better adults and we should make sure that we set a good example for them by learning how to get them to school safely."

For a copy of the brochure or for more information, please visit www.senatorfuschillo.com or call Senator Fuschillo's district office at 546-4100.

Senator Fuschillo announced recently that he has sponsored legislation that would exclude child safety seats from sales tax. Currently, the use of child safety seats is mandated at all times in New York State for all children under the age of four and this measure is an effort to reduce the financial burden placed on the parents of these children.

"This legislation will ensure that all families have access to child safety seats but with less of a budgetary concern," Fuschillo said. "The use of these safety seats is not only required by law but it is also proven to save children's lives."

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death to children in the country, with over 2,000 fatalities and 320,000 injuries annually. According to Dr. Lucy Weinstein, 1st vice president of the Nassau Pediatric Society and director of Injury Prevention at Winthrop University Hospital, the use of a child safety seat reduces the risk of hospitalization by about 70 percent and the risk of death for children four and under by about 71 percent.

"This will not only save money but will save lives," stated Dr. Weinstein. "The pediatric community strongly supports the legislation and its passage."

With prices for these seats ranging over $200, the money this proposal will save these caregivers should be warmly received.

"If we are going to require and champion the use of these seats, then we should be prepared to assist the parents in being able to afford them. This legislation will do that," concluded Fuschillo.