Hastings Cent Rep. 1981 Jun;11(3):21-2.
Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death and injury in children over one year of age in the United States. In response to this problem, bills have been introduced in the legislatures of more than twenty states that would require children to be restrained when riding in motor vehicles. Details such as age limits and types of allowable restraint devices have varied with the individual proposals. Laws have been passed in Tennessee and Rhode Island requiring child passengers to be restrained under certain circumstances. In both these states, as well as in many other states where similar laws have been proposed, objections have been raised on the basis of individual and family rights. A state legislative commission has drafted a Proposed Model Law: Every driver transporting a child under the age of five years in a motor vehicle registered in this state and operated on the roadways, streets, or highways of this state shall provide for the protection of the child by properly using a child passenger restraint system meeting applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Is such a law a necessary protection, or does it violate due process, privacy, and the right of parents to raise children as they see fit? Does it also discriminate economically?
在美国，机动车事故是一岁以上儿童伤亡的主要原因。针对这一问题，二十多个州的立法机构已提出法案，要求儿童乘坐机动车时必须使用约束装置。年龄限制和允许使用的约束装置类型等细节因个别提案而异。田纳西州和罗德岛州已通过法律，要求儿童乘客在某些情况下必须使用约束装置。在这两个州以及许多其他已提出类似法律的州，有人基于个人和家庭权利提出了反对意见。一个州立法委员会起草了一项示范法提案：每位在本州登记并在本州道路、街道或高速公路上行驶的机动车内搭载五岁以下儿童的驾驶员，均应通过正确使用符合适用联邦机动车安全标准的儿童乘客约束系统来保护儿童。这样一项法律是必要的保护措施，还是侵犯了正当程序、隐私权以及父母按自己认为合适的方式抚养孩子的权利？它是否还存在经济歧视？
