2019 LA Child Passenger Safety Law & Summer Safety

2019 LA Child Passenger Safety Law & Summer Safety

2019 Louisiana Child Passenger Safety Law

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office shared the new Louisiana Child Passenger Safety Law information on social media from Buckle Up Louisiana. The chart below shows changes in the law going into effect August 1, 2019.

If you would like to make sure you have the right seat for your child and that seat is installed correctly, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office serves as a “by appointment fitting station.” To have your child’s safety seat installed by one of STPSO’s certified technicians, call 985-288-1014 or email patrickcasnave@stpso.com

Driving? Put Your Phone Down and Drive

Distracted Driving — Each day in the United States, approximately 9 people are killed and more than 1,000 injured in crashes that are reported to involve a distracted driver.
Distracted driving is driving while doing another activity that takes your attention away from driving. Three main types of distraction: 1) Visual (taking your eyes off the road) 2) Manual (taking your hands off the wheel) and 3) Cognitive (taking your mind off of driving).
Anything that takes your attention away from driving can be a distraction. Sending a text message, talking on a cell phone, using a navigation system, and eating while driving are a few examples of distracted driving. Any of these distractions can endanger the driver and others.

Texting while driving is especially dangerous because it combines three types of distraction. When you send or read a text message, you take your eyes off the road for about 5 seconds, long enough to cover the length of a football field at 55 mph.

Kids and Summer Safety on the Road

School is out for the summer. Please be extra careful when driving through neighborhoods as there will likely be children out and about playing ball and riding bikes and scooters. St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office

During the summer months, cars get hot enough to kill in minutes. Make it a habit to always look before you lock. It’s never safe to leave a child unattended in a car.