Should states require child passenger protection?
Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death and injury in children over one year of age in the United States. In response to this problem, bills have been introduced in the legislatures of more than twenty states that would require children to be restrained when riding in motor vehicles. Details such as age limits and types of allowable restraint devices have varied with the individual proposals. Laws have been passed in Tennessee and Rhode Island requiring child passengers to be restrained under certain circumstances. In both these states, as well as in many other states where similar laws have been proposed, objections have been raised on the basis of individual and family rights. A state legislative commission has drafted a Proposed Model Law: Every driver transporting a child under the age of five years in a motor vehicle registered in this state and operated on the roadways, streets, or highways of this state shall provide for the protection of the child by properly using a child passenger restraint system meeting applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Is such a law a necessary protection, or does it violate due process, privacy, and the right of parents to raise children as they see fit? Does it also discriminate economically?
D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002755:Choice Behavior; D033161:Government Regulation; D006806:Human Rights; D006801:Humans; D007878:Legislation as Topic; D037141:Mandatory Programs; D011482:Protective Devices; D012149:Restraint, Physical; D014481:United States