NEWSOM signs new requirements for a seat belt for young children

From Ryan SabalowCalmness

This story was originally published by CalmattersS Register about their ballots.

California’s new law aims to retain more short children in boosters for longer, imposing fines if they cannot wear the seat belt properly.

Last week Gavard Gavin Newo signed a watered version of A assembly bill 435 that initially proposed To ban young teenagers from sitting in the front seat and demanding young people with short statues to use booster places in their middle school years.

But enough of the Democrats who control the legislature, they end the tradition of teenagers who call a “rifle” to ride in the front seat.

Instead, they found themselves in changing the standards that police use to determine if the child is high enough to carry a safe seat belt while riding in a vehicle. California law at the moment requires children to use boosters Until they are 8 Or reach a height of 4 feet 9 inches.

This will not change under the Newsom Act, signed. But in the beginning of 2027, children from 8 to 16 years old will have to pass a five -step test to be considered properly restrained by a seat belt under the California Act.

If a vehicle driver cannot answer “yes” to all these five questions about the baby’s seat title road, the driver can receive a ticket and fines from $ 490S

1. Does the child sit completely against the seat?

2. The knees of the child bend comfortably at the end of the seat?

3. Does the belt cross the shoulder between the neck and the arm, resting on the clavicle?

4. The circumference belt is as low as possible, touching the hips?

5. Can the child stay this way for the whole trip?

Proponents of the bill said the issue is to encourage children and their parents to stay in booster seats until they grow high enough to hold the seat belt to hold them properly. The new rules are in accordance with the recommendations of public health staff, and the California highway patrol has been encouraging parents to follow for years.

Defenders cite numerous studies showing that young children in the remains of cars are more severe to be seriously injured or killed as the seat belts are not intended for their small frames. It is also especially dangerous for children with a small frame to sit in front.

“The long the child can use an amplifier if he does not respond to the test, the better, because it is so important to have a belt in the right place,” says Stephanie Tombo, former CEO Safetybeltsafe USA and a long -time supporter of the seat belt laws.

The original account was a difficult sale

The original version of the bill would ban teens up to 16 years old from sitting in the front seat if they could not pass the five -step test.

The bill would also require all children more than 10 to use booster seats and to bother all under 13, to sit in the front seat. The measure will also require children of 13 years to use a booster seat unless they pass the five -step test.

But even with the safety and healthcare groups for children and cars that support the bill, it turned out to be a very difficult sale in its original form for its author, a democratic assembly group Lori Wilson of the city of Suisun.

Her bill sailed through her first two committees. Then, in May, the bill died when Wilson brought it to the Assembly floor. He needs 41 votes. He received 35, with 25 Democrats not voting, which is relevant as a vote “no”.

AS Calmatters reportsDemocrats almost never vote “no” to the accounts of their colleagues. Instead, they usually do not vote. In Capitol, it is considered as a more institutive way of saying no and less likely to lead to revenge. The voting also does not allow politicians to avoid accountability of conflicting votes, as it is difficult for a public member to determine whether a legislator was actually there to vote that day.

Wilson told Calmatters that part of the resistance from her democratic colleagues had fallen contradictory legislation that strives to increase penalties to attract teenage sexS This legislation has raised difficult issues in the democratic Cook about how difficult to break up to the accused of attracting sex by minors, on the basis of whether the victims are more young or older teenagersS

He then appeared on Wilson shortly after. Wilson said conservative media have made comparisons between the bills, as its sought the state to treat some teenagers like young children. This is seen as a hypocritical resistance from progressive democrats to increasing penalties for those who require sex from older teens.

“Then he started watching him,” she said. “And people started talking about,” Well, I actually have a 10-year-old and don’t want to sit in a booster seat. I don’t want them to sit in a booster seat. “

None of the Democrats who voted on the bill in May during the hearing of the short meeting of the bill.

From the Democrats of the Assembly, who did not vote this day, Calmatters asked for interviews this week with five of them, all of whom have children.

Speakers about Petri-Norris Cott of Ervine, Maggie Crel on Sacramento, Rhodesia at a hundredth, Jesse Gabriel of Encino and Christopher Ward San Diego did not provide them for interviews.

The next month, Wilson returned the account to the Assembly. Noting that many of her colleagues were burned in the account, she promised To fix it in the Senate.

With his assurances, the bill crept with 42 votes. Then, after removing the most reflective regulations, he unanimously accepted the Senate.

Wilson said she was pleased with the version of the bill, which Newsom signed and had no plans to resurrect more reference measures in future legislation.

“I think just changing culture and now this is required by law to correctly limit your child,” she said, “I think it’s enough to encourage parents to make the right choice for their children.”

This article was Originally Published on CalMatters and was reissued under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Noderivatives License.