By Sarah Green
KHI News Service
TOPEKA, Feb. 22
The Kansas Senate passed three bills Thursday aimed at young drivers
and young passengers
in cars.
Senate Bill 211 extends the state”s primary seat belt law to anyone under age 17. Currently, drivers can be stopped and ticketed if officers see children ages 14 and under without seat belts. The offense is a so-called “primary” violation, which means a motorist can be stopped and ticketed for it.
Drivers and passengers ages 14 to 17 typically have low seat-belt usage rates, said Sen. Vicki Schmidt, R-Topeka.
“This bill will affect only a small percentage of Kansans, but that population is overrepresented in crashes,” she said. “This law allows them to be safer in vehicles and is just good public policy.”
Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Les Donovan, R-Wichita, successfully offered an amendment to raise the offense”s fine from $10 to $60, including court costs. House Bill 2136 also raises the state”s fine to $60 for seat belt offenses. The House bill passed out of committee but has not been heard on the House floor.
An unsuccessful amendment was made by Sen. Terry Bruce, R-Hutchinson, to continue classifying the seat belt law for those ages 14 to 17 as a secondary violation
where officers may issue tickets for failure to wear a seat belt, but only if the vehicle was stopped for another reason.
Bruce said he had ridden with law enforcement officers and thought it would be difficult to spot young adults or adult drivers who look young who were not wearing seat belts.
“Given my own experience, this is not manageable,” he said. “This could be abused.”
But that amendment would have stripped the bill of its original intent, Donovan countered.
“If this was an ag bill, this would be called “neutering,”” he said. “This would tear the bill apart and make it a non-issue.”
The Bruce amendment failed 14-20.
The second transportation bill passed Thursday was SB 294, which would implement a graduated drivers licensing system for young drivers.
Sen. Phil Journey, R-Wichita, said novice drivers comprise 7 percent of the state”s licensed drivers, but are responsible for 13 percent of all fatal crashes and 20 percent of all injury accidents. The new law would help young drivers learn safer habits, he said.
In addition to raising the minimum age for drivers from 14 to 15, except for those who receive farm permits, the bill would require young drivers to be supervised by adults; prohibit the use of wireless devices and limit the number of passengers. Young drivers would be able to drive unsupervised on their way to and from work or school events and between the hours of 5 a.m. and 9 p.m.
Journey added an amendment allowing teenagers to drive home after 9 p.m. if they have been participating in a school activity. Sen. Tim Huelskamp, R-Fowler, also added an amendment exempting teenagers driving home late at night from a religious activity.
The third “safe kids in cars” bill passed by the Senate involved young children left unattended in vehicles.
Senate Bill 77 would create a $25 fine for adults who leave children ages five and under unattended in vehicles more than five minutes. The bill originally did not have the five-minute proviso. That was amended in.
“Cars are not baby sitters and they are not play pens,” said Schmidt, the Topeka Republican who carried the bill.
Sarah Green is a staff writer for KHI News Service, which specializes in coverage of health issues facing Kansans. She can be reached at
sgreen@khi.org
or at 785-233-5443, ext. 118.