The General Assembly finds that a substantial number of passengers under the age of 8 years riding in motor vehicles, which are most frequently operated by a parent, annually die or sustain serious physical injury as a direct result of not being placed in an appropriate child passenger restraint system. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children of every age from 4 to 14 years old. The General Assembly further finds that the safety of the motoring public is seriously threatened as indicated by the significant number of traffic crashes annually caused, directly or indirectly, by driver distraction or other impairment of driving ability induced by the movement or actions of unrestrained passengers under the age of 8 years.
It is the purpose of this Act to further protect the health, safety and welfare of motor vehicle passengers under the age of 8 years and the motoring public through the proper utilization of approved child restraint systems.
625 ILCS 25/2