Page 33 - AAA Every Day – AAA Hudson Valley – May/June 2019

SAFETY ZONE
Traffic Laws:
Followers, Not Leaders
Whenever a new traffic safety law passes, many people start yelling about Big Brother government. Sadly, it often takes a law change to get people’s attention. It’s always good to question change. By questioning why, we tend to make
better informed decisions. During our driver safety classes, we receive a
lot of questions about motor vehicle laws. We are happy to clarify the rules, but often have to remind people to aim higher.
Let’s talk about seat belt and child
restraint laws. Hopefully you buckle
up for safety, not just because it’s
the law. Many of us are old enough
to remember a time when very few
people buckled up. Seat belts started
showing up in cars back in the 1950s
and became required equipment on
vehicles by 1968. It took many years
before the first state required seat
belt use law in 1984. Front seat belt
use in the early 1980s was less than
15 percent, today it’s approximately
90 percent. Sadly, it took a law and many years of education campaigns to make this life saving change. Changes in law continue to move forward. More and more, states are requiring seat belt use in the back seat. Is this more Big Brother or just logical evolution? The reason for buckling up, front seat or back, is the same. It makes no sense to let such a basic simple life
Photos: Courtesy of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
saving device go unused. Sadly, it will most likely take a law and many more years of ad campaigns to reach 90 percent seat belt use in the back seat.
Many parents also have questioned why child seat laws keep changing. Again it seems to take a law change for people to question why. On November 1, 2019, New York law will require children to be in rear facing child seats until they are at least 2 years of age. This again is not a revolutionary change. The American Academy of Pediatrics
made this recommendation in 2011. This recommendation helped encourage car seat manufacturers to design child seats to fit these growing children better. Keeping children rear facing longer offers superior head and neck protection.
Hopefully, you have been fortunate enough to have a safety technology before it was required by law. Back-up cameras, anti-lock braking systems, airbags and more were available years before they were required. The law should and will continue to be a follower not a leader. AAA Hudson Valley wants to
support our members, with a focus on safety. We want to help you ask why. If you need help with a child seat or have a question about safety equipment, we are here to help. Send us an email at trafficsafety@aaahv.com or call 518-426-1000, ext. 2442.
Michael Sweeney is a Traffic Safety Educator at AAA Hudson Valley.
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