Should Riding in Truck Beds Be Illegal?
U.S. state representative Mike Rogers thinks so, calling it “asinine” that people in Alabama can still do it legally.
His comments come after an accident last weekend that left four dead and five injured on U.S. 431 near Guntersville, Ala. Rogers hopes the incident will reignite a discussion about the issue after he couldn’t accomplish in 1998 after sponsoring a bill that would have banned children riding in pickup truck beds.
Alabama laws only specify child restrains inside the vehicle, and people in the truck bed are considered to be outside. Alabama doesn’t have laws to govern that practice. The state’s seat belt laws require small children and infants to be properly restrained and that anyone under 14 years wear a seatbelt.
Last weekend’s incident might already be making a difference. Another state representative says he might pre-file a bill related to the incident before the next legislative session.
There would be certain exceptions to the ban. For example, farmers would be allowed to carry people in their truck beds in fields or on private roads.
When Rogers last sponsored a bill related to this issue, he found a lot of opposition. Farmers opposed it because they wanted to haul workers and some complained that the bill was unfair because it made transporting youth sports players difficult.
[Source: Al.com]
Luke is an energetic automotive journalist who spends his time covering industry news and crawling the internet for the latest breaking story. When he isn't in the office, Luke can be found obsessively browsing used car listings, drinking scotch at his favorite bar and dreaming of what to drive next, though the list grows a lot faster than his bank account. He's always on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> looking for a good car conversation. Find Luke on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> and <A title="Luke on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/112531385961538774338?rel=author">Google+</A>.
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The morons in Alabama are doing us a favor. Darwin rules!