SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Illinois State Police (ISP) today announced plans to join law enforcement agencies and traffic safety groups across the state and nation in observing Child Passenger Safety Awareness Week, February 13-19. The goal of the cooperative effort is to save lives and reduce injuries among the youngest segment of the population by drawing attention to the importance of child passenger safety.
"Laws in all 50 states require children to ride buckled-up; however, tragically, 40 percent continue to ride unbuckled every day," stated ISP Director Sam W. Nolen. "Even more troubling, studies show more than 60 percent of children killed in vehicle crashes were not restrained."
Nolen said the top priority during Child Passenger Safety Awareness Week is to emphasize child restraint as a crucial public safety issue. He also wants to make perfectly clear to adult drivers -- before they are pulled over by a trooper -- the ISP has a "no warning" enforcement policy for child restraint law violations. Nolen added, "If you violate the law and are stopped by a trooper, you will receive a citation."
Illinois law requires children under the age of four to be secured in an approved child restraint system. Children four and five years of age must be restrained in a safety seat or seat belt. Parents and legal guardians of children under the age of four are responsible for providing a child safety seat to anyone transporting their children.
The ISP will also participate in several awareness and safety education events throughout the state to promote the importance of child safety seats and their proper use. | 
