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RALEIGH -
Drivers across North Carolina will be barred from allowing children younger than 16 to ride in the back bed of a pickup truck beginning in October.A bill sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Weiss, a Cary Democrat, goes to Gov. Mike Easley after final passage in the House on Friday.The new legislation makes changes to a law that bars riders younger than 12 but exempts smaller counties."I just wanted to make sure that we were protecting children across the state," Weiss said.Children younger than 16 will still be allowed to ride in the back when an adult is present, a provision of the current law that Weiss' bill originally stripped out.Legislators' efforts to add driver's license points, insurance penalties and court costs as consequences also lost out."I'm fine with that," Weiss said. "The goal here is really good information and education that children shouldn't be riding in the back of pickup trucks."
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