On your mark. Get set.
Buckle up.
New state laws effective Oct. 1 will require more
people in your family vehicle to buckle up.
Beginning next month, all passengers younger than
16 years old must be buckled in a weight-appropriate child restraint system, regardless of
where they sit in the vehicle.
The new law also increases the age at which a
child restraint seat is required from 4 to 5 years old.
Other provisions in the laws include:
- All drivers and front seat passengers must wear a
seat belt.
- Anyone younger than 12 will be prohibited from
riding in the open bed or cargo area of a pickup truck.
- Safety seats must be used in the back seat of any
vehicle with an active passenger-side air bag.
- Infants must face the rear of the car in an
approved child safety seat.
Once the child reaches 20 pounds, the safety seat
can face the front of the vehicle, but it still must be in the back seat.
- Children up to 5 years old who weigh less than 40
pounds must ride in a secured child safety seat.
Seat belts can be used once a child reaches 5
years of age or whenever they weigh more than 40 pounds, according to the new N.C.
Occupant Restraint Laws.
Officials with the Governor's Highway Safety
Program recommend that children sit belted in a booster seat even after they outgrow
safety seats. Booster seats generally hold children weighing up to 60 pounds.
State transportation safety officials also warn
that law enforcement officers are issuing more and more citations for drivers who violate
child safety laws.
The annual "Click It or Ticket" campaign
began in August. In three weeks, officers statewide issued 12,018 citations for seat belt
and child seat violations.
Road signs in many towns show the percentage of
drivers "Buckled Up"-- the ultimate goal, 100 percent.
Child restraint violations can lead to court costs
of $80 and $25 fines. The driver is responsible for all people in the car under 16
years old.
"Together, we can save young lives and reduce
injuries due to traffic crashes," Joe Parker, director of Governor's Highway Safety
Program, said.
Motorists who are not sure how to properly install
a child safety seat can call 1-800-672-4527 to locate a nearby agency that can check the
installation. |
Today's News