AAA Applauds Commissioner Techau's Support for Strengthening Child Passenger Safety

BURNSVILLE, Minn., Dec. 10, 2003 -- AAA Minnesota/Iowa congratulates Commissioner Kevin Techau at the Iowa Department of Public Safety on his support for strengthening child passenger safety laws and AAA encourages legislators to add their support to this legislation. AAA will be promoting this issue vigorously to their 300,000 AAA members in Iowa.

"We are pleased to see that Commissioner Techau is making child passenger safety a priority in the upcoming session," said Jeff Ogden, president of AAA Minnesota/Iowa. "AAA is dedicated to child passenger safety through its Seated, Safe and Secure campaign, which aims to strengthen occupant protection laws for everyone under the age of 18."

Iowa's law only requires children to be in a restraint up to age 3, and this legislation can give parents the false impression that after this age, children are safe when restrained in a seat belt. Because seat belts were designed to restrain adult males, children are at great risk of injury or death when they are improperly restrained in them.

"Most people do not realize automobile crashes are the No. 1 killer of children in the United States and that many of these deaths could be prevented. It is an enormous challenge to adapt roadways and vehicles to ensure our children's safety, and although the nation has made significant strides in child passenger safety during the past 25 years, improvements are still needed," Ogden said.

AAA Minnesota/Iowa, which includes more than 700,000 members, offers automotive, travel, insurance and financial services. It is part of The Auto Club Group (ACG), the largest affiliation of AAA clubs in the Midwest, with 4.1 million members in eight states. ACG clubs belong to the national AAA federation, a not-for-profit organization, with more than 45 million members in the United States and Canada.