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COUNTY OF SAN MATEOInter-Departmental Correspondence | |||
County Manager’s Office | |||
DATE: |
March 22, 2007 | ||
BOARD MEETING DATE: |
March 27, 2007 | ||
SPECIAL NOTICE/HEARING: |
None | ||
VOTE REQUIRED: |
Majority | ||
TO: |
Honorable Board of Supervisors | ||
FROM: |
John L. Maltbie, County Manager | ||
SUBJECT: |
County Manager’s Report #5—AB 881 (Mullin), Vehicles: Child passengers | ||
RECOMMENDATION: | |||
Adopt a resolution in support of AB 881 (Mullin), Vehicles: Child passengers. | |||
VISION ALIGNMENT: | |||
Commitment: Ensure basic health and safety for all | |||
Goal(s): # 6—Children grow up healthy in safe and supportive homes and neighborhoods. | |||
BACKGROUND: | |||
AB 881 is a third attempt to expand current law requirements regarding the use of child passenger restraint systems and safety belts. Current law requires parents or, in the absence of parents, drivers to ensure that children under six years of age or under 60 pounds use an appropriate child passenger restraint system in the rear seat of a vehicle. | |||
AB 881 would change that requirement by requiring children less than eight years of age to be secured in a rear seat with an appropriate child passenger restraint system with an exception for children four feet nine inches or taller, who may use a seat belt in a rear seat position of the vehicle. | |||
The Legislative Committee and Board of Supervisors supported AB 881’s predecessor AB 2108 (Evans) in 2006. With a working group, Senator Jackie Speier initiated this effort and the early draft language for AB 2108 from 2006. | |||
DISCUSSION: | |||
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 2003 Fatality Analysis Reporting System, significant increases in child restraint usage due to efforts like the Buckle Up America campaign (www.buckleupamerica.org) have caused continued decreases in number of child deaths. The 2003 report indicates that the number of fatalities for children from birth to three years of age remain at historically low levels. However, older children did not have as positive outcomes in 2003. While the report indicates overall crash-related fatalities for children four to eight years of age decreased in 2003 (including street crossings, bike riding and riding in cars), fatalities among four to eight year olds as passengers in cars increased by 5.1%. | |||
While San Mateo County reported no motor vehicle occupant deaths in 2003 of children in this age group, 27 non-driver youth from birth to 20 years of age required hospitalization as a result of traffic related injuries. It is unclear how many (if any) of these youth were properly restrained. However, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, the use of booster seats can reduce serious injury by 60%. | |||
San Mateo County’s current Child Passenger Safety Program includes: | |||
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Free car seats and booster seats along with education/installation for clients referred by the Health Department, Human Services Agency, Sheriff’s Office or the San Mateo Medical Center. | ||
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A referral service for the general public to sites where they can have their own car seats/booster seats inspected and properly installed and resources to low-cost programs. | ||
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Participation on Santa Clara/San Mateo Counties SAFE KIDS Coalition Child Passenger Safety Committee, who organize a minimum of two large public car seat events/year in San Mateo County. | ||
By requiring proper child restraint systems for children until they are at least eight years old, AB 881 could save lives and result in a potential decrease in hospitalizations of children six to eight years, who may be injured while wearing adult seat belts or ultimately a decrease in potential fatalities of those children not wearing any restraints at all. | |||
FISCAL IMPACT: | |||
Unknown. Potential increase in funding (due to an increase in fines) with a minor increase in duties. | |||
