LEGAL ASPECTS
LICENSE PLATES
Operating a vehicle without displaying the two license plates assigned to the vehicle is a misdemeanor offense and will cost you up to $200.
SAFETY BELTS
The law requires that everyone at least fifteen years of age must wear a seat belt where seat belts are provided in the vehicle. This applies to both the front seats and the back seats.
Anyone younger than seventeen years of age, who is not required to be in a child passenger safety seat system, must wear a seat belt, provided the vehicle has seat belts. This also applies to both the front seats and the back seats.
CHILD PASSENGER SAFETY SEAT SYSTEMS
A person commits an offense if the person operates a passenger vehicle and transports a child who is younger than eight years of age, and does not keep the child secured during the operation of the vehicle in a child passenger safety seat system according to the instructions of the manufacturer of the safety seat system. unless the child is taller than four feet, nine inches.
Failure to secure a child in a child passenger seat system will result in a fine between $25 and $250.
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children 3 to 14 years old. The National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that roughly three out of four child safety seats are not used correctly. Correctly installed child safety seats and booster seats save lives – offering the best protection for children in the event of a crash.
| Child Passenger Safety National Best Practice Recommendations | ||
| Phase 1 | Rear-Facing Seats | Infants: Birth – 35+ pounds and 2+ years old. Rear-facing infant or rear-facing convertible safety seat as long as possible, up to the rear-facing height or weight limit of the seat. Properly install according to instructions in owner’s manual, rear-facing in the back seat.
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| Phase 2 | Forward-facing Seats | When children outgrow the rear-facing safety seat (minimum 2+ years), they should ride in a forward-facing safety seat as long as possible, up to the upper height or weight limit (40 – 80+ pounds) of the harnesses. Usually 4+ years old. Properly installed forward-facing in the back seat. NEVER turn forward-facing before child meets all: AGE/HEIGHT/WEIGHT requirements set by safety seat manufacturer for forward-facing.
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| Phase 3 | Booster Seats | After age 4 and 40+ pounds and behavior maturity*, children can ride in a booster seat with the adult lap and shoulder belt until the adult safety belt will fit them properly (usually when the child is 10 – 12 years old). MUST have a lap/shoulder belt to use a booster seat.*Behavior maturity required according to booster seat owner’s manual——————————————————————————– |
| Phase 4 | Adult Safety Belt | Once children outgrow their booster seat (usually at 10 – 12 years old) they can use the adult lap/shoulder safety belt if it fits them properly. Lap portion low over the hips/tops of thighs and shoulder belt crosses the center of the shoulder and center of the chest. |
| Children are better protected the longer they can stay in each phase. Keep children in each seat up to the maximum age/weight/height limits before moving to the next phase. ALL children younger than age 13 years should ride properly restrained in the back seat. | ||
PICKUP TRUCKS
These laws apply to pickup trucks as well as automobiles.
It is also against the law to operate a pickup truck with a child under the age of 18 years old in the bed of the truck, unless in a parade or an emergency. An offense under this section is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than $25 or more than $200.
SAFETY BELTS
Safety belt means a lap belt and any shoulder straps included as original equipment on or added to a vehicle.
Safety belt usage requirements include all pickups, SUVs and trucks.
Safety belts are life belts. They help to keep you:
- From being thrown from your vehicle. Your chances of being killed are five times greater if you are thrown from your vehicle.
- From hitting the dashboard too hard.
- In better control of your vehicle.
Seat belts are designed to contact your body at its strongest parts. For an older child and adult, these parts are the hips and shoulders, which is where the seat belt should be strapped.
CRASH PROTECTION
Lap and shoulder belts spread the force of the crash over a wide area of the body. By putting less stress on any one area, they can help you avoid serious injury. A shoulder strap also helps keep your head and upper body away from the dashboard, steering wheel, and other hard interior parts of the automobile should you stop suddenly or be hit by another vehicle.
Seat belts help extend the time it takes for you to slow down in a crash.
A seat belt is designed to protect two critical areas; your brain and spinal cord.
OPERATIONAL PRINCIPLES
Adjusting your seat belt properly is a must. The strap that goes across your lap should fit snugly over your hips and upper thigh area. Don’t allow the belt to ride up on the stomach; it could cause serious injuries in a crash.
Shoulder belts should rest securely across your chest and shoulders between your breasts. Don’t ever let the strap fall across your neck or face and never place the strap under your arms or behind your back.
Airbags are cushions built into a vehicle that protect occupants from hitting the vehicle interior during a collision. In order for airbags to be effective they must deploy early in a crash; in a frontal crash this typically occurs within the first 50 milliseconds (0.05 seconds). The instant a crash begins; sensors start to measure impact severity. If the crash is severe enough (at or above the airbag deployment threshold), the sensors signal inflators to fill the bags with gas. The bags fill in a fraction of a second to cushion occupants. Occupant protection is maximized when safety belts are used in conjunction with airbags.
Most vehicles have airbags that deploy in frontal crashes to protect front-seat occupants. The frontal airbag for the driver is stowed in the steering wheel. The frontal airbag for the front passenger is stored in the instrument panel.
Some manufacturers provide knee airbags, mounted in the lower instrument panel. Knee airbags distribute impact forces to reduce leg injuries. They also help reduce forces on an occupant’s chest and abdomen by controlling movement of the occupant’s lower body.
Increasing numbers of vehicles also have airbags that deploy in side impact crashes. Side airbags are usually smaller than frontal airbags and deploy from the vehicle seatback, door, or roof to protect front and sometimes rear seat occupants.
Some side airbag systems protect only the torso (chest, abdomen, and pelvis) and some protect only the head. Those that protect both head and torso are optimal.
Head-protecting airbags may extend into the rear seating area. Rear seats may also have head-protecting side airbags separate from those in the front seat or airbags that provide torso protection.
HELMETS and OTHER PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT
HELMET LAW
All riders under the age of 21 are required to wear a helmet when operating a motorcycle. Riders over 21 may ride without a helmet only if they have completed a safety course or are covered by an applicable insurance plan.
To ride without a helmet, Texas law requires a person be covered with health insurance for injuries incurred in a motorcycle accident to be eligible for an exception.
Helmets are like seat belts, by the time you need them, it’s too late to put them on.
SAFETY TIPS
Motorcyclists don’t have the protection that cars and trucks have. To stay safe, remember to:
- Wear a helmet and other protective gear
- Turn on your headlights and ride defensively
- Avoid the center of the lane where debris and oil build up
- Ride at a safe speed and never ride if you’ve been drinking
- Take a course to learn or reinforce safe riding techniques
Other drivers need to keep an eye out for motorcycles and safely share the road:
- Look twice for motorcyclists at intersections, entering highways and whenever turning or changing lane
- Always maintain a safe following distance
- When passing a motorcyclist, move to the other lane and allow a full lane for the motorcycle
PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT
Other protective equipment available for the motorcyclist or bicyclist are:
- Goggles protect the eyes from debris and foreign matter hazards.
- Clothing designed to protect the wearer’s body from injury by blunt impacts, debris, road rash and other unexpected hazards.
DANGERS of CHILDREN in UNATTENDED VEHICLES
Have you ever changed your daily routine and realized you had left your cell phone in the car? Or left your briefcase? It happens to everyone at some time or another but when we change our routine and a child is left in the car, it can be disastrous.
Even cool temperatures in the 60s can cause the temperature to rise well above 110° Fahrenheit inside your car. The inside temperature can rise almost 20 degrees within the first 10 minutes.
Some children die in hot cars after climbing into an unlocked vehicle without an adults’ knowledge. Once in the vehicle, they may become confused by the door opening mechanism or trapped in the trunk, and unable to get out before heatstroke occurs.
Prevention Tips
- Never leave a child unattended in a vehicle.
- Do not let your children play in an unattended vehicle. Teach them that a vehicle is not a play area.
- Never leave infants or children in a parked vehicle, even if the windows are partially open.
- Make a habit of looking in the vehicle, front and back, before locking the door and walking away.
- If you are dropping your child off at childcare, and normally it’s your spouse or partner who drops them off, have your spouse or partner call you to make sure the drop went according to plan.
- Ask your childcare provider to call you if your child does not show up for childcare.
Do things to remind yourself that a child is in the vehicle, such as:
- Writing yourself a note and putting the note where you will see it when you leave the vehicle;
- Placing your purse, briefcase or something else you need in the back seat so that you will have to check the back seat when you leave the vehicle; or
- Keeping an object in the car seat, such as a stuffed toy. When the child is buckled in, place the object where the driver will notice it when he or she is leaving the vehicle.
- Always lock vehicle doors and trunks and keep keys out of children’s reach. If a child is missing, check the vehicle first, including the trunk.
- If you see a child alone in a hot vehicle, call the police. If they are in distress due to heat, get them out as quickly as possible. Cool the child rapidly. Call 911 or your local emergency number immediately.
What you need to know, now
- Vehicles heat up quickly, even with a window rolled down two inches, if the outside temperature is in the low 80s° Fahrenheit, the temperature inside a vehicle can reach deadly levels in only 10 minutes.
- Children’s bodies overheat easily, and infants and children under four years of age are among those at greatest risk for heat-related illness.
- Children’s bodies absorb more heat on a hot day than an adult. Also, children are less able to lower their body heat by sweating. When a body cannot sweat enough, the body temperature rises rapidly.
- In fact, when left in a hot vehicle, a young child’s body temperature may increase three to five times as fast an adult. High body temperatures can cause permanent injury or even death.
DANGERS of EXTREME HEAT
- Symptoms of heatstroke: Warning signs vary but may include: red, hot, and moist or dry skin, no sweating, a strong rapid pulse or a slow weak pulse, a throbbing headache, dizziness, nausea, confusion, being grouchy, or acting strangely.
- If you see a child alone in a hot vehicle, call the police. If they are in distress due to heat, get them out as quickly as possible. Cool the child rapidly. Call 911 or your local emergency number immediately.
A law passed in 2013 requires licensed day care centers to equip any vehicle owned or leased by the facility used to transport children under their care or seats 8 or more persons with an “electronic child safety alarm”.
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