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In the wake of last weekend's deadly car accident in Brookside in which a 15-year-old was thrown from the bed of a pickup truck and killed, one Alabama lawmaker says he plans to introduce a bill in the legislature to ban the practice altogether.
State Rep. Owen Drake (R-Leeds) says, despite the inherent dangers of riding in the back of pickup trucks, many Alabamians choose to travel this way--including driving on Interstates and secondary highways at speeds in excess of 70 mph.
"There's a definite danger, not just of having an accident, but (also) falling out of a pickup truck," Drake said.
State law does not prohibit anyone over the age of 15 from riding in pickup truck beds. Anyone 15 years old and younger are required only to where a seat belt, but the law does not state explicitly that they may not ride in the back of a pickup truck.
Therein lies the problem, according to Drake.
"I've seen children riding in the back, standing up, looking over the cab of the truck, and that's very dangerous," he said. "I don't' know of any manufacturers of pickup trucks that put seat belts in the beds of their trucks, and I don't think it would be a good idea if they did."
Lawmakers have been unable to pass a law prohibiting this practice, Drake said, because some believe it would infringe on the personal rights and liberties of Alabamians.
Cpl. John Cleveland of the Dept. of Public Safety, who has seen countless fatal and injurious wrecks involving pickup trucks carrying passengers in the truck bed, agrees with this assessment.
"I know that our state laws are a balance of protection...and quality of life," Cleveland said. "But it's also a balance of freedom, and I think the legislators, if I had to guess, were trying to reach a balance of the two."
Drake, who just finished his first term, says he aims to change that in the name of safety.
"It may infringe on some rights in some people's minds, but I think that legislation would be well worth the effort for saving lives."
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