3. City's Response to Unrestrained Children in VehiclesSeptember 28, 2007
To City Manager, Mayor and Council
From: $ob Hafferman %�d
Subject: Children Endangerment
A concerned citizen called me about a situation he witness and is attempting to seek a
possible remedy to a potentially disastrous situation involving children. The situation he
observed and pursued was this:
At US 2 and .Meridian he observed a pickup with 3 children riding unrestrained in the
bed. All of the children appeared under six years of age. He assumed this was a serious unlawful
act. But by contacting the Kalispell Police Department, the County Sherds office and the State
of Montana he found there was no law to cover this situation. He also found out that cities can
enact an ordinance pertaining to this situation and that Missoula is (or has) pursued such
ordinance.
A question I have with regard to the present situation is: i f a child did fall out of the
pickup bed and was killed or seriously injured, what would be the disposition of the of the event
with regard to the parent?
A second question is: if an ordinance had been enacted and the parent was found
negligent and a single parent, what would happen to the other children?
My question to the Council is: should we tape action on this matter such as an ordinance
or other action such as an educational approach?
My uutial thoughts are that an ordinance is a reaction and penalty to an event after it
happens while education mayreduce the lotential of the event occurring. with the latter regard
the city may have two methods on education - through our TV channel and through our resource
officer in the school system.
Our TV channel may not reach that many citizens, but private advertisers can be of get
assistance which we, as a Council, can encourage. Able Body has an excellent example of an ad
on TV that enlists a presentation by a highway patrol officer in the use of seat belts with only a
display of "Able Body" in a lower corner (if I ever need such auto service I will go to Able
Body).
Since this is a serious situation which will not improve over time, I hereby request that
this situation be put on as an agenda item for discussion at an early workshop.
cc. Concerned citizen