With a busy travel weekend and a holiday coming up, state officials are hoping the threat of higher fines will make Iowans drive more safely. Jan Goldsmith is the occupant and protection program manager at the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau. Goldsmith says the new fines were enacted during the last legislative session and take effect July first — Sunday.The legislature has hiked the fines which can be slapped on motorists who don’t wear seat belts and on those who don’t have child passengers properly restrained. Fines are going from ten dollars to 25-dollars. With court costs and fees, the total bills will go from around 28-dollars to nearly 48-dollars. Goldsmith says many Iowans -wanted- the fines to be raised.Goldsmith wants to make Iowans aware of the higher fines in hopes they’ll use their heads and not get whacked in the wallets — or get killed.The latest surveys show 78-percent of Iowa motorists wear seat belts and 79-percent use the proper child restraints. Iowa ranks 12th nationally in both categories.
