Truck Beds

A bill that would prohibit children under 16 from riding in the open bed of a pickup truck got sidetracked Thursday amid concerns from House members that it could be too burdensome on rural families. The current law allows children 12 and older to ride in the back, with exemptions that allow even younger children to ride in the back if an adult is present and they live in one of 32 rural counties. It was the measure's removal of those exemptions that some lawmakers took issue with. Rep. Ronnie Sutton complained that many rural families in his district still need to use a pickup truck to ferry their kids. "When you get a family of about seven or eight and they want to go to church on Sunday morning, how's the father going to get them there?" said Sutton, D-Robeson. "Is he going to make two trips? How's the family going to get to Wal-Mart?" House members voted 70-40 to send the bill to a House judiciary committee to review it in light of Sutton's concerns.
Rep. Jennifer Weiss, D-Wake, a primary sponsor of the bill, said Thursday that safety was her primary concern. "The major thing is that it becomes a law that says it's not safe for people to be in the back of a pickup," Weiss said. "It's about education and prevention." Too many children are still being injured or dying under the current law, according to supporters. Eight children died and 127 children under age 16 were injured while in the back of a pickup truck between 2002 and 2006, according to the North Carolina Child Safety Task Force. The bill would fine drivers $25 and assess two driver's license points. An amendment offered by Sutton and approved 93-20 on the floor would prohibit insurance companies from penalizing drivers ticketed for violating the law. (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, 6/26/08).

*Blog Editor Note* This is a legislative priority for the Covenant for NC's Children. NASW-NC has a seat on the Covenant Board of Directors and was part of the lobby effort on this bill.