Kennett police to focus on child passenger safety

KENNETT, Mo. -- The Kennett Police Department is planning to crack down on violators of the Missouri Child Passenger Safety Law.

The department has had several complaints about children not being in proper safety seats or in no seats at all, police chief Barry Tate said.

"We are going to start enforcing this law stronger and more often," Tate said. "When a kid is not in a safety belt it is the same as a moving target."

Under the law, children younger than 4 or less than 40 pounds must be in an appropriate child safety seat.

Children ages 4 through 7 who weigh at least 40 pounds must be in a child safety seat or booster seat.

Children 8 and older, or who weigh at least 80 pounds or are at least 4 feet 9 inches tall, are required to be secured by a safety belt or booster seat appropriate for the specific child.

There are some exemptions to the law. Children who should be riding in a booster seat may ride in the back seat wearing only a lap belt if the back seat does not have a combination lap and shoulder belt. Booster seats should never be used with a lap belt only.

Also, if there are more children in the immediate family than seating positions, the children who can't be restrained by a child safety restraint should sit in the back seat unless the vehicle only has a front seat.

Taxi cabs and public transportation are exempt from the laws, as well as students who are passengers on a school bus designed for 11 or more passengers.

Parents and caregivers should always refer to the manufacturer's instructions to determine whether the child safety seat is appropriate for their child. Also, they should understand the charge and court costs would be dismissed if it were proven to the court that a proper and appropriate child restraint has been acquired.

Children younger than 13 are safest traveling in the back seat of a vehicle.

If children are not properly restrained in a vehicle during an accident and serious injury comes to the child, individuals could receive charges of negligence, endangerment to a child or homicide, Tate said.