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Safe Kids Southeast Iowa
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Make Roads Safe Keeping Children Safe In and Around Cars Car Seat Check Up
Safe Kids Southeast Iowa Coalition
Questions? Call Jeannette Fry at
(319) 752-4000 ext. 119
Young House Family Services
Lead Organization
Henry County Health
Center
Caring CommUNITY Empowerment
Des Moines/Louisa Counties
Iowa Child Safety Seat and Seat Belt Laws Iowa law requires that babies under one year of age and weighing less than 20 pounds be secured in a rear-facing car seat. The law further requires that children under age 6 be secured in an appropriate car seat or booster seat, not a seat belt alone. Iowa law also requires that children over age 6 but under age 11 be secured in a booster seat or seat belt. You can learn more about the law here. A GUIDE TO THE IOWA CHILD RESTRAINT LAW You can read the bill here. Iowa Department of Public Safety - Car Seat Laws (PDF) Guidelines and Recommendations Seat Smarts - Child Passenger Safety Iowa Child and Youth Seatbelt Law Upgrade Initiative SF 34 – the bill that requires seatbelt use for youth through the age of 17 - passed the Senate last year and right now it is in the House. You can show your support by downloading this form and returning it to Iowa Safe Kids as soon as possible. As a supporter, you will receive regular updates and requests for action regarding this legislation. These requests can include calling, writing and emailing legislators, attending local forums, participating in lobby day and encouraging others to do the same. Street Smarts Many young children cross streets alone. Yet very few under age 10 can deal safely with traffic. Their age and size put them at risk. Here's why.
Children should learn street safety as soon as they are ready to walk outdoors. But they need your help. Kids learn traffic safety by watching and doing. Go for walks with your children. Be a role model. Practice these safety steps. 1. STOP at the curb or edge of the road. NEVER run into a street.
2. LISTEN and LOOK for traffic to the left, to the right, and to the left again. (Teach children who don't know left from right to look "this way," "that way," and "this way.")
3. WAIT until the street is clear. KEEP LOOKING until you've crossed the street safely.
Supervise your children until they show you they are safe pedestrians. Buckle Up If you always buckle your safety belt, you've made a smart move. If you sometimes buckle up or if you never buckle up, you're risking your life. In a car, your best protection against getting hurt is a safety belt. It's true. Safety belts save lives. DO IT RIGHT!Keep the shoulder strap snug. If the shoulder belt crosses your face or throat, then you are too small to correctly use only the safety belt and should use a car booster seat.* Never wear a should belt under your arm or behind your back. Wear your lap belt snug, buckled low on your hips. Keep it off your stomach. *Car booster seats are for kids who weigh about 40 to 60/80 pounds.
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Take Action! 
Car Seats Made SimpleNational Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationChild Passenger Safety ProgramAAA - Help on the RoadTest Your KnowledgeDid you know? In a crash at 30 mph, an unbelted child would hit the dashboard with as much force as a fall from a three-story building. Excuse: "We might be saved if we're thrown clear of the car in a crash." Fact: Your chances of being killed are 25 times greater if you are thrown from the car. Think about it-there are only two ways out-through an open door or through the glass. 
Transportation Secretary Peters Announces New Five Star Rating System for Car Seats A new five star government rating system will grade child safety seats on how easy they are to properly install, and will help guide parents and caregivers in choosing the right car seat to keep their children safe, U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters announced Jan. 30. > View the New Ratings and Other Information on the Ease of Use Information Page
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