Under a proposed measure debated–and almost killed–today in the state Senate, an officer could pull you over if your child is under 8 years old and not in a booster seat. The proposal, sponsored by Aurora Democratic Sen. Suzanne Williams, was rapped by minority Republicans as “nannyism” but welcomed by all but a few Democrats as good public policy that should have the force of law.
“This will protect our children and will keep our children alive, and will keep or children safe,” Williams said, asking her colleagues to support the measure.
Senate Bill 110 would make it a primary offense – something an officer could pull a vehicle over for—for children under 8 that are not properly belted into a booster seat. Current law says that children under 6 of a certain height and weight must be a in a car seat, but it is a secondary offense, meaning that an officer would have to pull you over for some other reason to ticket you for the seat-belt offense.
Republican Sen. Shawn Mitchell, of Broomfield–who noted he has seven children–said mandating boosters for children up to 8 years-old usurps the authority of the majority of parents who care about their kids safety.
“Our lawmaking is descending into terminal silliness,” said Mitchell. “I would wager that I have buckled more car seats and changed more diapers than most of you in this chamber–I know something about child safety, something about parental commitment and something about loving and taking care of my children.”
That largely GOP argument also picked up the endorsement of the chamber’s top Democrat. Senator Majority Leader John Morse, D-Colorado Springs, a former law enforcement officer, said making the booster seat a primary offense overlooks practical considerations such as determining a child’s age, which makes it difficult to enforce. Law enforcement groups have said they support the bill to the extent that it eliminates the weight and height criteria leaving only an age requirement, but Morse maintains the enforcement problem is still the same.
“The argument is not whether or not children should be in a car seat,” Morse said. “The argument is whether or not we should use the enforcement power of the police. It still doesn’t make it easier to enforce, and it still doesn’t make it the right thing to do.”
Children’s Hospital in Denver reports that over the past 10 years, 9,000 6-to-8-year-old children were injured in car accidents. Of those, only six were in a car seat. The most common injuries included spinal fractures, contusions, skull fractures and internal bleeding.
Williams’ bill failed on an initial vote but was revived by a procedural move that will allow it to be heard again next week, when Williams said she anticipates having a majority vote.
hi-ya, I read all your writings, keep them coming.
Parents seem to learn what is safe in regards to child passenger safety from the law. I am a Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician and I see this first hand. Parents want to know what the LAW says rather than what is actually safest for their children. They believe that the law is telling them what is safe. By requiring children to use a booster seat to age 8 we are helping inform parents what is safer for their children while riding in the car. I really hope that Governor Ritter will sign this bill as it crossed his desk yesterday. This is much needed and the state of CO is behind in this area as many other states have a similar law. It is unfortunate but many times the law need to tell parents how to keep their children safe as they won’t do the research for themseleves.
That’s a good read!