Car Seat Law Oversteps Parents' Rights, Local Assemblyman Says

Assemblyman Brian Nestande, whose district includes slivers of Wildomar and Lake Elsinore, has introduced a bill that seeks to repeal a car seat law and replace it with something less stringent.

On Friday Nestande (R-Palm Desert) introduced Assembly Bill 2585, which seeks to repeal SB 929. Under the existing law, parents are prohibited from transporting, in a motor vehicle, a child who is under 8 years of age unless that child is in a car seat. SB 929 does have a provision that states “a child under 8 years of age who is 4 feet 9 inches in height or taller may be properly restrained by a safety belt rather than a child passenger restraint system.”

Under Nestande’s AB 2585, parents would be required to place any child 6 or under who weighs less than 60 pounds in a car seat.

AB 2585 came about as part of which asked constituents to submit ideas on which California laws should be repealed.

Tim Bowen of Moreno Valley won with his idea to push for the repeal of SB 929.

"No one including me will argue that public safety and child safety is not important. The use of seat belts and child safety seats are common sense to most people. This (SB 929) is an example of the state's overstepping into the rights of families,” Bowen said of his contest submittal.

"I would like to thank all who participated in our contest and congratulate Tim for submitting a great idea. We are ready to make the case why we ought not to have this law in our books," Assemblyman Nestande said. "Sacramento often gets caught up in the moment and forgets that parents have the responsibility to raise their children not the state."