HB 387

1
A bill to be entitled
2An act relating to child-restraint requirements; amending
3s. 316.613, F.S.; providing child-restraint requirements
4for certain children ages 4 through 7; redefining the term
5"motor vehicle" to exclude certain vehicles from such
6requirements; providing a grace period; providing
7exceptions; providing effective dates.
8
9Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
10
11     Section 1.  Effective January 1, 2011, paragraph (a) of
12subsection (1) and paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of section
13316.613, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
14     316.613  Child restraint requirements.-
15     (1)(a)  Each Every operator of a motor vehicle as defined
16herein, while transporting a child in a motor vehicle operated
17on the roadways, streets, or highways of this state, shall, if
18the child is 7 5 years of age or younger and is less than 4 feet
199 inches in height, provide for protection of the child by
20properly using a crash-tested, federally approved child
21restraint device that is appropriate for the height and weight
22of the child. The device may include a vehicle manufacturer's
23integrated child seat, a separate child safety seat, or a child
24booster seat that displays the child's weight and height
25specifications for the seat on the attached manufacturer's label
26as required by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards FMVSS213.
27The device must comply with the standards of the United States
28Department of Transportation and be secured in the motor vehicle
29in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. For children
30aged through 3 years, such restraint device must be a separate
31carrier or a vehicle manufacturer's integrated child seat. For
32children aged 4 through 7 5 years, a separate carrier, an
33integrated child seat, or a child booster seat belt may be used.
34The court may dismiss the charge against a motor vehicle
35operator for a first violation of this paragraph upon proof of
36purchase of a federally approved child restraint device.
37     (2)  As used in this section, the term "motor vehicle"
38means a motor vehicle as defined in s. 316.003 that is operated
39on the roadways, streets, and highways of the state. The term
40does not include:
41     (b)  A bus or a passenger vehicle designed to accommodate
4210 or more persons and used for the transportation of persons
43for compensation, other than a bus regularly used to transport
44children to or from school, as defined in s. 316.615(1)(b), or
45in conjunction with school activities.
46     Section 2.  Effective July 1, 2010, a driver of a motor
47vehicle who does not violate the then-existing provisions of s.
48316.613(1)(a), Florida Statutes, but whose conduct would violate
49that provision, as amended January 1, 2011, may be issued a
50verbal warning and given educational literature by a law
51enforcement officer.
52     Section 3.  This act does not apply to a person who is
53transporting a child who is 4 through 7 years of age if the
54person is:
55     (1)  Transporting the child gratuitously and in good faith
56in response to a declared emergency situation or an immediate
57emergency involving the child; or
58     (2)  Transporting a child whose medical condition
59necessitates an exception as evidenced by appropriate
60documentation from a health professional.
61     Section 4.  Except as otherwise expressly provided in this
62act, this act shall take effect July 1, 2010.


CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.