Todlers in Trucks

[Curious Father]

Just curious at what age I can transport my 3 yo son in my truck. It would be a big help to my wife if I could help take ny son to daycare but all I would have available is a single cab pick up truck. I am able to turn off the passenger side airbag. Thank you in advance.

[ACPD Brownlee]

CA. Vehicle Code Section 27360 states:

(a) A parent or legal guardian, when present in a motor
vehicle, as defined in Section 27315, may not permit his or her child
or ward to be transported upon a highway in the motor vehicle
without properly securing the child or ward in a rear seat in a child
passenger restraint system meeting applicable federal motor vehicle
safety standards, unless the child or ward is one of the following:
(1) Six years of age or older.
(2) Sixty pounds or more.
(b) (1) A driver may not transport on a highway a child in a motor
vehicle, as defined in Section 27315, without properly securing the
child in a rear seat in a child passenger restraint system meeting
applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards, unless the child
is one of the following:
(A) Six years of age or older.
(B) Sixty pounds or more.
(2) This subdivision does not apply to a driver if the parent or
legal guardian of the child is also present in the vehicle and is not
the driver.
(c) (1) For purposes of subdivisions (a) and (b), and except as
provided in paragraph (2), a child or ward under the age of six years
who weighs less than 60 pounds may ride in the front seat of a motor
vehicle, if properly secured in a child passenger restraint system
that meets applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards, under
any of the following circumstances:
(A) There is no rear seat.
(B) The rear seats are side-facing jump seats.
(C) The rear seats are rear-facing seats.
(D) The child passenger restraint system cannot be installed
properly in the rear seat.
(E) All rear seats are already occupied by children under the age
of 12 years.
(F) Medical reasons necessitate that the child or ward not ride in
the rear seat. The court may require satisfactory proof of the
child's medical condition.
(2) A child or ward may not ride in the front seat of a motor
vehicle with an active passenger airbag if the child or ward is one
of the following:
(A) Under one year of age.
(B) Less than 20 pounds.
(C) Riding in a rear-facing child passenger restraint system.

So boiling this down it means you must have your child in an approved safety seat for their age/weight.

You can not put them in the front seat, unless:
You have no other seat.

I am assuming your 3 yo child is over 20 pounds and since you can turn off your airbag; they can ride up front as long as the bag is off...

That's about as clear as I can make the mud...

[Guest]

OK, so now I have a question.

My husband and one child were in an accident a few months ago. As I was talking to my Ins adjuster about throwing away the carseat, we got to talking.
I had told her that my eldest child was 7 and 69 lbs. And my youngest was 4 and 35 lbs. I asked her if the law had changed regarding the 6 or 60lbs. carseat law. She thought she had heard it had indeed changed, but her notes still said the same, 6 or 60. I took it one step further and called Napa Sheriff Dept. I got someone who said it was not 6 OR 60, it was 6 AND 60. I confirmed that with the CHP. Now, when I called my Ins adjuster back a few weeks later, her info had been updated to the 6 AND 60 lbs.

So, that vehicle code you copied and pasted, said 6 or 60.

Can you please look into it further and let us know what you found? As I am sure we ALL want out kids as safe as they can be, there are parents that just want that carseat OUT of the car.

Thank you for your time.

And remember, if your child is ready for the booster and your vehicle does not have a headrest in the rear, you MUST use a backed booster . NOT a regular seat booster. You must have the neck support and protection.

[ACPD Brownlee]

OK as far as I know (as well as everyone else that's in the office right now) it is OR...

Looking back at the section, paragraph A states; "...a child
passenger restraint system meeting applicable federal motor vehicle
safety standards, unless the child or ward is one of the following:
(1) Six years of age or older.
(2) Sixty pounds or more. "

Now here is a quote from NHSTA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)

CALIFORNIA - Children who are less than 6 years of age or weighs less than 60 lbs. must be properly secured in a child restraint system (child seat, booster, or other product that meets federal safety standards) in the rear seat of a vehicle. Exemption: if there are no shoulder belts in the back seat of the vehicle, a child who weighs 40 lbs. or more may be secured in just a lap belt. Children who are age 6 but under 16 or weighs at least 60 lbs. must be properly secured in a child restraint system or safety belt.

Hope this answers your question, and a slight heads up for you... Legislation is considering raising these limits to 8 or 80 next year.

[Guest]

Wow, do they make car seats for kids that are 7 1/2 ? I would think that the length from butt to knee would be too long for a booster. At least when I tried to put my then 7 year old in a backless booster to drive to Arizona, there was no way. It seems safer to have her in just the seat with belt alone then in a booster that doesn't fit her properly... So, if you or anyone has any info on booster seats for older kids that are not petite, please let me know, because if this does pass (8 or 80), then I am gonna need one for my other child...
Thanks-

[Flygirl]

I notieced that the topic of choice is the car seat law. I would have to say that if they change the law to 8 or 80 and under 16 years old. I would have to have my 13 year old in a booster because he is only 70lbs. I don't think that he would want to get ride to High School next year in a booster seat, that would be quite embarrassing. I would say that I would not agree with that law. My 7 yr. old is almost tall enough that he fits in the lap belt and the booster is getting small. I think that we need to have an American Canyon car seat demonstration in American Canyon and they should put the notice of when it will be in the water bill. I see a lot of young children in American Canyon, not in car seats at all and their parents state that they don't believe in them. That is CRAP!!!!

[Guest]

My hubby found this today-

08-25) 04:00 PDT Sacramento -- Parents will have to strap their kids into backseat car booster seats until they are 8 years old or reach a certain height if Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signs a bill the Legislature sent to him Thursday.

Another bill that appears headed to the governor's desk attempts to protect children's health by making it illegal for adults to smoke in a car with young passengers.

California law now requires children younger than 6 or weighing less than 60 pounds to use booster seats -- and sit in the backseat.

"Traffic accidents are the highest cause of fatality for children ages 6 and 7," said the bill's author, Assemblywoman Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa. "This is a serious, serious issue.

"Children aged 4 to 8 who use booster seats are 59 percent less likely to be injured in a car crash than children restrained only with a seat belt, according to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study," Evans said.

The bill would implement the safety agency's recommendation that children should be in a car seat or use a booster seat until they are 8. The agency made that recommendation when California became the first state to adopt car seat requirements for children up to age 6 in 2002 under legislation by state Sen. Jackie Speier, D-Hillsborough.

Republican lawmakers offered the same objections to Evans' bill as they did to Speier's earlier measure -- parents should decide what's safe for their children.

"This is nanny government," said Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, R-Irvine, a 6-foot-4 legislator who said his two tall daughters would be "extremely uncomfortable" should Evans' bill become law.

The 80-member Assembly sent the bill to the GOP governor on a 45-22 vote.

Schwarzenegger has not taken a position on the bill as yet, a spokeswoman said. If he signs it, the law would take effect Jan. 1.

Drivers caught not using a car seat or a booster seat or allowing their children 12 and under to ride in the front seat would be charged with an infraction and fined $100 for the first offense. The second offense would carry a $250 fine.

It's likely the fine a driver would actually pay would be much higher since most localities tack various penalty assessments on most traffic infractions.

A court can, however, waive the fine if the offending driver attends a "community education program" that instructs the driver on how to install and use passenger restraint systems. Proof of participation would eliminate the fine.

Sixty percent of the fines collected under this bill would go to local health departments or other local entities to help pay for creating such "community education programs."

Initially, Evans' bill required children under 13 to sit in the backseat, but she dropped the provision.

"Some members complained about that because they said the only time they had to talk to their teenagers was when they took them to school," Evans said.

The federal transportation safety administration recommends that once kids outgrow the kind of car seats with built-in harnesses, they sit on booster seats -- raised platforms -- so that seat belts buckle across their shoulders, restraining them rather than injuring them should there be an accident.

Evans' bill, AB2108, contains some exceptions.

One is welcome news to DeVore's daughters and to volleyball or basketball team members: Any child taller than 4 foot 9 doesn't need a booster seat.

Kids can also sit in the front seat -- but still use a booster seat unless they exceed the height threshold -- if there is no backseat, the backseats face backward, the backseat can't accommodate a restraint system, the backseats are already filled with kids 7 years of age or younger, or proof of a medical condition that prevents a child from being in the backseat.

Evans' is not the only measure affecting children in cars.

Pending on the Senate floor is a bill that would make it an infraction for a person to smoke a pipe, cigar or cigarette in a vehicle -- whether moving or at rest -- if one of the passengers is a child in a child restraint system.

A fine of up to $100 would be assessed against the driver or passenger who was smoking.

Supporters say the bill is needed to protect young children from second-hand smoke.

[ACPD Brownlee]

We currently have officers trained in the proper installation and inspection of car seats. If you would like assistance, please call our office at 648-2658.