A statewide effort is underway this weekend to educate parents about the new child safety seat law that’ll go into effect July 1st. The law will require children to wear a seatbelt or be in a booster or safety seat depending on the child’s age. Sergeant Genie Clemmons of the Iowa State Patrol says it’s common to see kids in cars now without proper protection. She says it’s something troopers see on a daily basis and they hope to educate people about the new law so they can make their children safer. Troopers will give you 18 months to adjust to the law — issuing warnings instead of tickets in that time. Clemmons says they’ll do all they can to spread the word. She says along with the troopers on the road, they’ll have 14 safety education officers going across the state to give talks anytime they can. Clemmons says troopers know what happens when kids aren’t properly restrained in cars. She says they see it all too often where children and adults aren’t properly buckled in and it results in an injury or fatality. Workshops across the state today (Saturday) will help parents evaluate their carseats and booster seats to see if they fit the children properly.
