New laws focus on safety of children

Task force hopes to build on success

Buoyed by successes in the recent legislative session, the state's Child Fatality Task Force met Monday to start exploring new means of protecting North Carolina children.

The legislative study group heard proposals for laws to restrict mopeds on highways, overhaul the state's driver-education program and restrict children from riding on the back of motorcycles.

"Small children on motorcycles don't seem to be a good idea," said Sen. Bill Purcell, a Democrat from Laurinburg.

The strongest proposals will be sorted out in committee and presented as potential bills to the General Assembly session scheduled to start in late January.

Last session's youth-safety laws include:

* Vertical driver's licenses. Drivers under 21 will receive licenses that are displayed vertically rather than horizontally.

* Pickup truck restrictions. A new law bans anyone under 16 from riding unsupervised in the beds of pickup trucks.

* Carbon monoxide detectors. Owners of rental properties that have fossil-fuel-burning heaters must install carbon monoxide detectors by Jan. 1, 2010. The move could lead to a requirement for the detectors in all new construction, members said.

* Felony charges. Acts or negligent omissions that cause serious harm to a child are now felonies. The law covers cases in which a person's failure to protect a child results in injuries.

* Trauma reports. Hospitals and doctors must report serious, non-accidental trauma injuries in children to county law enforcement. The law also frees doctors from liability in cases where they make reports of possible abuse based on good-faith professional judgment.