Not only is this Valentine’s Day, it’s a day to show your kids how much you love them too. Today’s the first day of Child Passenger Safety Week in Iowa as law enforcement agencies remind drivers statewide to take proper care of their precious cargo. Jim Saunders is spokesman for the Iowa Department of Public Safety. Saunders says they’ll be urging motorists to transport their children in the proper child safety restraint systems to reduce the risk of injury or death in a crash. He says some new parents or people who’ve just moved to Iowa may not be familiar with the various laws regulating how we carry kids in our cars. The child passenger safety law was updated in July of 2004, extending a previous law to include the additional ages of children from ages six through ll to be secured in a child restraint system or by a safety belt. Saunders says motorists need to be familiar with the various parts of the law as they relate to their kids. Any child under one year of age and weighing less than 20 pounds has to be in a rear-facing child restraint system. Kids under six have to be in a safety seat or a booster seat, not just a seat belt. Kids from six to 11 have to be in a restraint system or a safety belt anywhere in the vehicle. More information is available at the website “www.nhtsa.dot.gov/CPS” or by calling SAFE KIDS at 800-258-6419.
