Iowa's new Child Restraint bill passed the Senate today. It had already
been through the House, so all that's left if the governor's signature.
It will require babies under 1 year/20 lb to be rear facing. Children 5
& under (no weight requirement) must be in a properly used restraint.
Children 6-10 must be in a restraint or seatbelt.

Iowa Child Restraint Bill

By Karen~moderator on Friday, April 9, 2004 - 06:38 pm:

Trina, I just wanted to say that having you on the board, keeping up with this stuff, is a real asset to the board. :-)

By Mommyathome on Friday, April 9, 2004 - 06:45 pm:

Trina, how come there is no weight requirement? Isn't it safer to select a car seat/restraint based on weight rather than age?
In our state I believe the law is you have to be in a booster until 80 pounds.

By Trina~moderator on Saturday, April 10, 2004 - 08:05 am:

Karen, THANKS!

Robin, yes, a child's weight is an important factor when selecting a car seat or booster. However, this is a law that states all children 5 and under must be in a "properly used restraint". This means all 5 yr. olds, no matter how much they weigh, must be in a car seat or booster - whichever is appropriate for his/her weight. This is a huge improvement over Iowa's current child restraint law: 2 yrs. and younger must be in a child restraint, 3-5 permissable in an adult safety belt- AWWWW! This still doesn't come close to current child passenger safety recommendations but it's better than it was.

Child restraint laws vary A LOT from state to state. Unfortunately, many of them do not coincide with CPS recommendations put out by safety experts. Many parents think their kids are safe as long as they're following the laws, but bottom line, the laws of physics over ride the laws of man. A 5 yr. old is not safe in an adult safety belt, even if the state law says it's permissable!

State Child Restraint Laws

By Michimo on Saturday, April 10, 2004 - 09:19 am:

I like our toddler laws. 6 and 60. On my son's 6th b-day, he literally kicked his booster to the curb! It was a very exciting moment for him. He felt so grown-up! He wanted to leave the party, with all of his guests, and unopened presents, to take a drive with no booster! (My husband, being a fireman, is very strict about vehicle laws. I can honestly say our children have never been in the car without boosters, or seatbelts, when they were older. Me either! He would have a cow, if we did!)

By Trina~moderator on Saturday, April 10, 2004 - 09:58 am:

Michelle, my DS is 7.5, and still in a booster because he doesn't yet pass the 5 Step Test. Our state law is 4 yrs. and 40 lbs.. Regardless, I follow current Child Passenger Safety recommendations. My DD is turning 6 in June, and still in a 5 pt. harnessed seat because she's only 37 lbs..


Boosters Are For Big Kids

5 Step Test

1. Does the child sit all the way back against the auto seat?
2. Do the child's knees bend comfortably at the edge of the auto seat?
3. Does the belt cross the shoulder between the neck and arm?
4. Is the lap belt as low as possible, touching the thighs?
5. Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?

If you answered "no" to any of these questions, your child needs a booster seat to make both the shoulder belt and the lap belt fit right for the best crash protection. Your child will be more comfortable, too!

I have tons of CPS resources. Next week I'm taking the course to become a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician.

By Michimo on Saturday, April 10, 2004 - 11:44 am:

Thanks Trina, that's cool. Doesn't it just drive you crazy, going down the freeway, seeing kids (toddlers) running across the back seat of a car?!? BTW, my oldest dd was in a car seat/booster seat until 2nd grade, for the same reason as yours, and laws back then were even more lenient than now. Another pet peeve of dh's--our oldest, 13, is legally allowed to ride in the front seat, but the shoulder harness, and/or airbag could be fatal to someone that size.

By Trina~moderator on Saturday, April 10, 2004 - 12:21 pm:

YES, it does drive me crazy seeing kids not properly restrained! As well as seeing kids ride in the front seat!

Is your DH a CPS Tech?

By Michimo on Saturday, April 10, 2004 - 04:21 pm:

I've never even heard that term, until you talked about it earlier. He just sees alot of this stuff, because the fire district he works for covers a very treacherous stretch of I-5. Lots of accidents, lots involving unrestrained passengers.

By Trina~moderator on Saturday, April 10, 2004 - 05:20 pm:

Michimo, there are a lot of CPS (Child Passenger Safety) Technicians in CA. Not all, but many work in fields similar to your husband: fire fighters, police officers, EMTs, nurses, etc.. People who see the results after crashes. And then there are people like me, who are simply car seat nerds. LOL!

You can look up Car Seat Check locations and CPS Techs in your area at these sites...

www.seatcheck.org

www.safekids.org

By Dawnk777 on Saturday, April 10, 2004 - 09:25 pm:

How big should kids be before they are allowed in the front seat. My 14yo sits in the front seat all the time.

By Trina~moderator on Saturday, April 10, 2004 - 09:49 pm:

Dawn, the general recommendation is that all kids 12 and under should always ride in the back seat. However, if a teenager is small in stature (ie: not adult sized) they would also be safer in the back. The force of an air bag deploying can cause serious injury, if not death, to a child.

More info:
NHTSA - Airbags

By Dawnk777 on Sunday, April 11, 2004 - 08:44 pm:

Okay. Sarah is pretty much adult-sized. We see eye-to-eye when we are standing, and I'm 5'4".