Bill to update vehicle safety guidelines for children fails on House floor
Rep. Ron Bolton, R-Northport, sits on the floor of the Alabama House of Representatives on May 9, 2024 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. His bill to update car seat regulations failed on the House floor on Feb. 27, 2025. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector)
A bill that would update safety regulations for children in vehicles for the first time in almost 20 years failed on the House floor on Thursday.
HB 18, sponsored by Rep. Ron Bolton, R-Northport, requires 2-year-old children who are 35 pounds and lighter to be in rear-facing car seats, which is an increase from 20 pounds. The bill received bipartisan pushback. Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur, expressed concern about a 2-year-old fitting in a rear-facing car seat.
'Their legs may not fit in the car seat,' she said. 'A 2-year-old, usually, if they can look around, distract and learn, there's a really good thing about learning from that environment and just looking out. Facing the back of that seat … I just have concerns with this bill.'
Rep. Adline Clarke, D-Mobile, read a text from a constituent that expressed similar concerns.
''One- and 2-year-olds do not want to be staring at a seat,'' she read. ''They look out the windows when riding forward and observe everything, which is part of their learning.''
The legislation also requires children under five who weigh 65 pounds or less to be in convertible car seats, which is an increase from 40 pounds. Rep. Rolanda Hollis, D-Birmingham, talked about her 4-year-old nephew that has long legs and would not fit in a convertible car seat.
'Facing the seat could be a problem,' Hollis said.
Bolton said the American Academy of Pediatrics expressed concern about Alabama's outdated regulations because the average weight of children has increased in the last 20 years. He said the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Children's Hospital, VOICES of Alabama Children and Safe Kids Alabama advocated for the legislation in order to comply with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration standards.
'They're seeing an increase in the weight of the children, and that's what prompted NHTSA to actually change their standards and update them,' Bolton said.
Request for comment from the Alabama Department of Public Health and ALEA was sent Thursday afternoon.
Bolton said he'd try to compromise with the members opposed to the bill, but it is unlikely the legislation will come back this session.
'I'm gonna try to work with them, see if we can find some kind of accommodation,' Bolton said in an interview.
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