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Florida Senate Panels Approve Child Seats Until Age 7; Left Lane Bill
February 7, 2011
Monday, Florida Senate panels approved a bill that would restrict driving in the left lane of a mult-lane highway to passing only, and approved a bill that would require children up to age seven to be in an approved ca set
Left Lane Bill
With the type of speed its backers would like to see drivers in the far left lanes of Florida highways move, the Senate Transportation Committee approved a so-called “road rage” bill Monday on a 5-0 vote.
The bill (SB 244), sponsored by Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, would limit the left lane to a passing lane, making it a moving violation to fail to move to the right if traffic is behind you. Bennett and House Sponsor Rep. Jeff Clemens, D-Lake Worth, have argued that the measure would reduce road rage and traffic congestion.
Similar bills have been adopted in Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine and Massachusetts. The Florida legislation has still has a long road to go, however, with hearings scheduled next in the Senate Health Regulation and Budget committees.
Car Seat Bill
A measure requiring a child car restraint for children up to age seven or until they’re four-feet nine-inches, cleared a Senate committee on Monday. Currently, child seats are only required through age three, and after that a seat belt may be used.
The bill (SB 238), sponsored by Sen. Thad Altman, R-Viera, was approved with a 4-1 vote Monday in the Senate Transportation Committee. It still needs approval from the Senate Criminal Justice and the full Budget Committee. A House version of the measure (HB 11) has four committee stops and is yet to get a hearing.
By The News Service Florida
Comments
16 Responses to “Florida Senate Panels Approve Child Seats Until Age 7; Left Lane Bill”
car sit law is ridiculous. As for the left lane, they should just put the signs back up that says slower traffic keep right. That one should be common knowledge.
I am glad for the left lane law.Hope it is inforced.
I beliieve the law is most states is ’slower traffic use right lane’ . This would hold regardless of the speed limit. If You’re driving along at whatever speed , and someone driving faster comes up behind You , You’re the ’slower traffic”. Move over. It’s not just the law. It’s just plain common courtesy.
Love the focus on carseat safetly. So many parents are unaware of the danger their child are in due to improper use of a carseat, and need more education. The next step needs to be laws extending rear facing to age 2, at least. A child under 2 is at 5 times greater risk of serious injury, especially to their spinal cord, when forward facing. If you have a child, please take a moment to watch the following video on youtube! If you can’t watch it all, skip to 1:33 and see what your child will experience if they are in a crash foward facing Vs. Rearfacing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2DVfqFhseo
and Stacey, booster seats can be purchased with a weight limit of up to 120 pounds. Babiesrus website has a max weight limit listed with all our their carseats and booster seats.
What about “little people” (used to call them midgets)?
@ barrineauparkdad
You sir are the one (or people like you) causing the problem and accidents and road rage, you think you can hold up traffic by doing the speed limit in the PASSING LANE. So please just move your finger two inches,click the turn signal and move over. It’s what i do , unless i’m PASSING. As far as making a left turn , use your signal they will get the hint.
I like both of these. Too often parents think that just because a child can buckle themselves in that they fit properly into the seat of a car. There are booster seats that go up to 100 lbs and by that time the child will more than likely be over 4′9″. If your child can sit with their back up against the back of the seat and their legs hang over the seat correctly (meaning that the back of the knee is against the edge of the seat and their legs aren’t sticking out) than they are more than likely ready to be out of a carseat/booster. The placement of the chest seatbelt is also something to look at prior to taking them out of a carseat/booster. The law isn’t meant to keep kids in a seat but to make sure that they are physically ready to be out of a carseat/booster and keep them safer in the car.
As far as the left lane law…. I doubt that it’ll change anything. People love to sit in that left lane and not get over even though common sense and common courtesy says that you should get over. People don’t get over for emergency vehicles and that is a law so I don’t think this will change peoples’ driving habits.
Up to 4′9″ in a car seat? Maybe they meant the child must ride in a car seat until age 7 or until he reaches 4′9″ (if before age 7), although I admit that sounds ridiculous in itself. They can’t seriously expect children of any age to ride in car seats until they reach 4′9″ in height. Car seat manufacturers must be lobbying this bill to boost sales. If this law had been on the books several years ago, my daughter would have been required to ride in a car seat to get her restricted driver’s license.
What happened to the republicans manta of less government. So you want to ticket someone going 70 so you don’t make some hole mad that’s going 85 and can’t wait 30 seconds to get by.
This sounds like a way to just pull over and harass citizens that are in the left lane passing or driving faster than those in the right. Its just more government interfering with peoples lives that are just trying to work and live
I like the left lane bill , not so sure on the restraint one, 4′ 10″ is pretty big for a car seat.
Left lane bill or open up the speedway bill. I’m guilty, but I’m running the speed limit or slightly higher. if I’m in the left lane and approaching slower traffic, I’m not going jump into the right lane to get out of the way of someone running 75-80 mph, unless they have red or blue lights flashing on their roof. Same thing when preparing to turn left ahead, I’m not going to fight to get in the left lane at the last minute to make my turn. Now if someone wants to ride in the left lane running below the speed limit, thats different. Slower traffic should stay right, but if your going the speed limit plus, you are not slower traffic. If you are significantly exceeding the speed limit, you are just as big a hazard as the turtle in either lane.
Left lane bill would reduce my road rage for sure.And if you’re against this, then you’ve probably been the cause of it.
My 2 year old weighs 32 lbs. Where will I get a carseat she can fit in at 7?
As far as the Child Restraint Seat Bill, that sounds pretty crazy. Is there records that show that once a child reaches three he/she is not safe in a buckle alone? If so I agree with it. But on top of it all, the law doesn’t even stop all these people riding the roads now with infants in their arms, thats what gets to me.
Left Lane bill…..Yes!!!! Finally!!!! Please pass this Bill!!!