AAA and the Iowa Department of Public Safety Supports Strengthening Child Restraint Laws

Guest Editorial by: Jeff Ogden, president of AAA Minnesota/Iowa, and Kevin Techau, Commissioner, Iowa Department of Public Safety

BURNSVILLE, Minn., Jan. 7 -- Most people do not realize automobile crashes are the No. 1 killer of children in the United States and that many of these deaths could be prevented. Motor vehicle crashes killed a staggering total of 1,543 child occupants 14 years of age and under in 2002, and injured 263,000 others.

In Iowa, the current law states that children under age 3 must be in an approved child safety seat, and children ages 3 to 6 must be in an approved child safety seat or a seat belt. This is a primary enforcement offense, which means that a motorist can be pulled over for violating this law. The seat belt law calls for children older than 6 to wear a seat belt in the front seat, however, a gap exists since children in the rear seat who are older than 6 are not required to wear seat belts.

Our nation's transportation systems and the vehicles that travel them were not originally designed and built with children in mind. Since Iowa's law only requires children to be in a restraint until age 3, this legislation can give parents the false impression that after this age, children are safe when restrained in an adult seat belt. Because seat belts were designed to restrain adult males, children are at great risk of injury or death when they are improperly restrained in them.

At AAA Minnesota/Iowa and the Iowa Department of Public Safety, we support the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, which calls for two major improvements to Iowa's child passenger safety laws. First, close the gap in the law by requiring children ages 9 and older to be properly restrained in all seating positions. Second, require children ages 3 to 8 to be properly restrained in a child safety seat child safety seat, booster seat or safety belt, whichever is appropriate according to child safety seat manufacturer's weight and height requirements.

AAA believes educating the public about the proper use of safety seats and restraints for all children, and closing loopholes that exist state laws, are key to preventing child passenger injuries and deaths. We need you to contact your legislators and urge them to vote in favor of strengthening child passenger safety laws so that our children live to experience their future.