Becks Breaks The Law!

No, not for being outrageously hot, but by having his young son Romeo, ride in the front of his new Jeep, David is violating California Child Passenger Safety Law, which states that:

Effective January 1, 2005, California Law will require children to ride in the back seat in a properly secured child passenger safety restraint until they are at least 6 years old or weigh 60 pounds.

Romeo will turn six in September and looks to be about average size (which would be less than the requisite 60 pounds).

Course, there are some exceptions, such as:

• Your vehicle has no rear seats.


• Rear seats are side-facing jump seats. Child safety restraints must never be placed on side-facing vehicle seats.


• The child restraint system cannot be properly installed in the rear seat.


• For example, your vehicle has lap belts only in the back seat, but there are lap and shoulder belts in the front seat. Your child is 5 and weighs 45 pounds and must ride in a booster seat. The booster seat must be used with a lap and shoulder belt; therefore your child may ride in the front seat.


• Children under age 12 occupy all rear seats.


• Medical reason (written by the pediatrician) requires that child not be restrained in the back seat. All children are safer in the back seat, ask another adult to ride with the child in the back.

And although it does look like Romeo's in a booster - it doesn't look like his shoulder strap is secured...

Regardless, according to the CHP, children are 33% safer when moved from the front seat to the back seat.

Maybe David doesn't know California law, in Britain a child under three only needs to have the "proper restraints" to ride in the front -- heck in the UK, Romeo could be in the driver's seat and not get a ticket!