Tougher seat belt law aims to help save lives

It's the number one killer of American teenagers: car crashes. Now Iowa is trying to cut the number of deaths by making those teens buckle up. Wednesday, Governor Culver signed a bill today making more people buckle up, more specifically, making more passengers in the back seat buckle up.

One eastern Iowa mother says her daughter would just be wrapping up her junior year of high school if she had been wearing a seat belt in another family's SUV. Andrea Bockenstedt was only 13-years-old when she died during a trip with a friend's family to Adventureland in Des Moines. The Strawberry Point teenager was thrown out of the back seat of an SUV.

"I truly believe if she had a seat belt on, she would be with us here today,” says Nancy Bockenstedt.

Nancy says the two adults in the front seat were buckled up, and that three children in the back were not. Andrea and her friend's younger brother were killed.

"You don't want to be in my family mourning the loss of a child. It was a senseless death,” says Nancy.

Andrea's mom is relieved Iowa will soon have tougher seat belt laws for backseat riders. Right now, everyone in the back has to be in some sort of safety restraint until they turn 11. Starting July 1, those passengers have to buckle up until their 18th birthday.

"Government data shows teens are involved in three times more deadly crashes than anyone else,” says Connie Hauskins of Safe Kids Linn County.

Hauskins says she and other activists have been pushing for this change for five years. Nancy and her family joined the cause nearly three years ago when Andrea died.

"It doesn't have to be an hour drive away. It could be out your own driveway. The simple click could be the ticket back to your family,” says Nancy.

Andrea's family hopes this new law brings attention to how seat belts save lives and help keep families together.

Under this new law, the driver can receive a ticket if someone 13 and younger is not buckled up. But 14 through 17 year olds sitting in the back will get the ticket themselves. Since some teens can start driving as early as 14, state lawmakers say they should be responsible enough to buckle up on their own.

-Claire Kellett, KCRG-TV9 News