Melissa Ross
Child safety advocates are slamming legislation they say would endanger children and weaken Florida’s newly passed child passenger safety law, on the books only a year.
SB 1394, filed by Sen. Jeff Brandes, officially defines the terms “service patrol vehicle” and “driver-assistive truck platooning technology.”
However, it’s the language referring to children that’s sparking outraged news releases sent to reporters’ inboxes.
Certified child passenger safety technician Grainne Kelly has exclaimed, “This filed legislation means children aged four through five years would not require a separate carrier, integrated child seat or a child booster seat with a safety belt, when the child is being transported by a child care facility, family day care home or a large family child care home, or after-school program.
“The safety of children should not be subject to lack of planning by taxi firms or parents. If a child is going swimming, you bring swimming trunks. If you don’t have trunks you don’t swim, simple as that. The same should be said for car seats. If you don’t have one, the child doesn’t travel.”
In January 2014, Florida became the 49th state in the nation to pass a law requiring that children must ride in a crash-tested, federally approved car seat or booster seat until they turn 6. In past years, 4- and 5-year-olds could wear a seat belt only. The change came after years of prodding and advocacy from AAA and other groups.
