New Illinois laws impacting motorists will take effect Tuesday, January 1, 2019. They involve child passenger safety and bike safety initiatives
The first law will require parents and caregivers to secure children in rear-facing safety seats until they are two-years-old, or weigh 40 pounds or more, or measure 40 or more inches tall.
“Children are five times safer riding in a rear-facing seat, because their head, neck, and spine are better protected in a crash,” White said.
- Car crashes are a leading cause of death for children ages 1-13, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
- The Illinois Child Passenger Protection Act states that children under age eight must be secured in an appropriate child restraint system, including booster seats.
- Car seats have been shown to reduce fatal injury by 71 percent for infants and 54 percent for toddlers, according to NHTSA.
The Secretary of State’s office, through its “Keep Me in a Safe Seat” program, provides child safety seat inspections by certified child safety seat technicians, at ten Driver Services facilities. For additional information or to schedule an appointment, please call 866-247-0213 or visit www.cyberdriveillinois.com.
The second law places more emphasis on bicycle safety for those taking Driver’s Exams. Test questions on the “Dutch Reach,” a technique drivers are encouraged to use in order to avoid hitting bicyclists with their car doors, and other bike safety measures will be included on the Driver’s Exam and in the 2018-2019 Rules of the Road.
To obtain a free copy of the Bicycle Rules of the Road, visit www.cyberdriveillinois.com or any Secretary of State’s Driver Services Facility.
“This legislation will help improve safety between drivers and bicyclists who share the roads,” said White. :By adding questions to our written exam about bike safety, drivers will be more aware of the deadly consequences that can occur, if they do not follow the Rules of the Road.”