News : Roadside Chat - Old McDonald clicked his belt E-I-E-I-O

While more than 92 percent of front-seat drivers and passengers in Iowa wear seat belts, it might surprise you to learn that nearly half of those killed on Iowa roadways were not buckled up. In 2022, 114 of our loved ones were not wearing seat belts when they were killed in a crash.

Buckling up is so easy. But unfortunately, there are a number of reasons adults give for not wearing seat belts themselves. Luckily, when it comes to our kids, one of the first things most of us buy as new parents is a child safety seat.

As child safety seats have become more advanced, some of them are also a bit complicated to install and use correctly. According to an article on https://www.parents.com/, there are nine common mistakes parents make.

1. The car seat is too loose in your car.
2. The harness is too loose on your child.
3. Your infant is facing forward too soon.
4. Your rear-facing car seat is not at the correct angle.
5. The harness chest clip is in the wrong spot.
6. The harness straps are in the wrong slots.
7. You're not using a booster seat for older kids.
8. Your car seat has been recalled.
9. Your child sleeps in the car seat outside of the car.

With a little patience and attention to detail, all of these common mistakes can be addressed.

So far this year in Iowa, 14 people have been killed in a traffic crash. That's an increase of seven from last Friday. In Iowa in 2022, there were 338 traffic-related deaths. To see statistics published daily by the Office of Driver Services, go to the daily fatality report at https://www.iowadot.gov/mvd/stats/daily.pdf