More Iowans are buckling their kids in safety seats, but virtually all Iowans who use those seats are doing so incorrectly. Kathy Leggett, spokeswoman for the Iowa Safe Kids Coalition, says about one-third ofall children killed in car crashes die because they were unrestrained orwere improperly restrained. She says it’s estimated 97-percent of people put the car seats in wrong.General Motors has donated a new van to the Safe Kids Coalition which Leggett says will become a permanent extension for the organization.Leggett says the new van will be taken all over the state for local coalition events and to areas of Iowa that don’t have injury prevention groups in place.While some problems may be minor, she says others could be life-threatening. Leggett says when used properly, car seats and safety belts can reduce the death risk by as much as 71 percent.
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