Restraining Seats, Belts Crucial to Children’s Safety in Car
A 2-year-old child was killed Jan. 18 in a car accident in Orange about a mile from his home. It was reported that the child was not in a restraining seat when the accident occurred.
The restraining seat law was primarily adopted to prevent possible injury or a fatality of a small child in the event of an accident while in a motor vehicle. California law requires that children up to the age 4 and under 40 pounds be secured in safety seats that are properly anchored inside the car.
When an infant death is overlooked and the only penalty applied is a wrist-slapping $100 fine for noncompliance with the law, then why the restraining seat law without meaningful purpose?
A precedent must be established. A child’s life was snuffed out by negligence for his safety. This must be termed to be a criminal act, as he, the child, was a victim without the life-supporting protection as prescribed by law.
AL PALLADINO, Orange
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