| OCR Text |
Show Utah's Law of Love can protect your child with car safety device rules Submitted by Dr. Jackie A. Smith, Utah Department of Health Have you ever gone to great lengths to protect a precious possession or package while riding in your automobile? Just the other day I purchased a porcelain figurine and, after moving it around to various places in my car, I finally decided that the only way to transport it was to buckle it into a seat belt. Children are precious worth far more than any possession and deserve to be protected in the best possible way. After buckling up my porcelain figurine, I wondered if we as adults give the same amount of time and attention to securing the safety of our children. Children are certainly worth the price of a car safety restraint device and the time it takes to properly buckle them up. One out of every 57 children born in Utah will be seriously injured or killed in a motor vehicle accident before reaching his or her fifth birthday. If all children involved in traffic accidents had been properly restrained, estimates suggest there would have been 19 fewer deaths and at least fewer serious injuries among Utah's children from 1979 to 1982. In order to better protect the children of Utah, the Utah State Legislature passed "Utah's Law of Love," which went into effect July 1,1984. Important facts about the law to remember are: (1 ) all children up to the age of two years must ride in a child safety seat, (2) children between the ages of two and five must use either a child safety seat or safety belt, unless all ' seating positions which can be equipped with child restraints or safety belts are occupied by other passengers, (3) the law will be enforced in all vehicles except authorized emergency emer-gency vehicles, mopeds, campers, sleepers, motorcycles, motor homes, school buses, taxi cabs, vehicles owned, operated or leased by a public transit district, or vehicles which weigh over 10,000 pounds gross weight and are not equipped with seat belts by the manufacturer, and (4) a person convicted of violating the law shall be fined not less than $20 per offense. However, the charge will.be dismissed as long as the driver submits proof of acquisition, acquisi-tion, rental, or purchase of a child restraint device or safety belt(s) before or during any court appearance appear-ance concerning the law. Let's give our children the love and protection they need. Always buckle your child and while you're at it fasten your own safety belt. :r. : :..) r-J ' -i ' |
