BY RACHELLE GINES, Times-Herald Correspondent

If approved, a new bill would tighten child passenger safety laws by requiring children ages 6-8 years old to ride in a booster seat and those 12 and under to ride in the back seat, the bill's author said.

Assemblywoman Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa, said car crashes are the leading cause of death in children between 6and-7 years old, adding that this bill would draw attention to child passenger safety laws.

"Parents need to be educated about child safety in the car and this bill will make them more conscious of it," Evans said.

Existing law states children must ride in a car seat in the back of a car until they are 6 years old, or weigh 60 pounds. Evans said the bill targets children between the ages of 6 and 7 because they usually outgrow their car seats and are too small to be properly restrained in a seat belt. A booster seat solves the problem by raising the child so the seat belt fits correctly, Sgt. Wayne Ziese of the CHP said. The 29-year CHP veteran supports booster seats. "The biggest problems I've encountered are improper seats for size of the child," Ziese said.

Evans said a number of parent consumer organizations advise that children 12 and under should sit in the back seat. Ziese agrees.

"Aside from airbag danger and not being tall enough, kids can't be all squirrelly, moving around, playing with the floorboards and flipping the dial on the radio, Ziese said. Evans introduced the measure last week. If the bill makes it through the Legislature and the governor signs it, she said the new law could take effect by next January. Denisha Powell of Vallejo thinks 8-year-olds are too old to be riding in a booster seat.

"If kids are old enough to buckle themselves in, then we should just be able to get on our way and get on with our business," the mother of a 10-month-old child outside the Target on Admiral Callaghan Lane said.

Teresa Garrot, also of Vallejo, thought the bill goes too far. However, the mother of three went on to say the bill may make car rides safer for kids while pushing her cart in the parking lot.

"If it's for the kids' safety, I guess it's okay. But it seems like just another hassle," Garrot said as she busily dug in her purse for her keys.

Evans anticipated parents' frustration over the thought of buckling an antsy child into a booster seat, but she was not swayed.

"I sympathize with them," Evans said. "But I think it's worth the extra 60 seconds that may save a child's life."

Ziese said the law is prepared to deal with parents who do not follow child passenger safety laws.

"If parents don't want to hear it, we'll send them to court and let the judge explain the laws to them," Ziese said. "I've seen little guys lose their lives in bad crashes and it's never a good thing. I have helped bring charges against parents in the past and I'll continue to do so if necessary." A fine of up to $300 is levied if a child is not in a car seat, Ziese said. If the child is improperly fastened in a car seat, then parents are warned. The Vallejo Police department wrote 1,000 seat belt violation tickets last year during a three-week period from May to June, Sgt. Jim Capoot said. Of those violations, he said, 50 were related to improper child seat violations. He said the department plans to track the trend by repeating the three-week monitoring program this year.

Vallejo residents have called 9-1-1 to report that children were either not in car seats, or unproperly restrained, Ziese said. Most incidents were reported from unincorporated parts of Solano County, and rarely on the freeway he added.

"While I'm grateful to those citizens who call 9-1-1, it's not a 9-1-1 call. They should call 1-800-TELL-CHP."

Capoot said all parents have options to ensure their child's safety in the car. He said low-income families can get a car-seat for free or at a discount through county programs, and seminars about child car safety are offered in Spanish as well.

"There is no excuse for parents. Help is available," Capoot said.

Although her three children are grown, Evans said she was aware of children and car safety as a young mother. She said she buckled them into car seats until they were at least 7 years old.

"Our kids' safety is paramount," Evans said.

For information on car seats, call the Golden Gate CHP at 551-4180 or visit them in Vallejo at 1551 Benicia Road.

Contact Rachelle Gines at 553-6825 or e-mail at rachelleleah@hotmail.com.

© 2008 Vallejo Times Herald