CEOs Message
Safety is our Priority
While AAA Arizona reviews and monitors numerous bills throughout the legislative
session, we also work to initiate legislation determined to be in the best
interest of our members, motorists and the community at large.
As part of AAA Arizona’s 2009 legislative agenda, we have formed a coalition
of law enforcement and fire officials, hospitals, nurses, physicians and public-safety
advocates to support legislation that will improve the safety of young children
in automobiles by requiring the use of booster seats for children under the age
of nine who are not more than 4’9” tall.
Existing Arizona law requires children under the age of five to be placed in
a child restraint system when riding in an automobile. This requirement has saved
countless lives and has prevented scores of avoidable tragedies. However, as
effective as the current law has been, it has a major flaw. Nationally, 43 states,
excluding Arizona, aim to keep child passengers as safe as possible while riding
in a car, requiring them to be in a booster seat after they have outgrown their
child restraint seats and until they fit properly in a seat belt. Since the use
of booster seats is known to reduce the risk of child injuries by 59 percent,
AAA believes Arizona should act responsibly by closing this loophole to keep
all kids safer in the vehicle.
Safety has been, and will continue to be, at the forefront for AAA Arizona. The
emergency roadside assistance personnel that we count on to assist stranded motorists
are in danger from oncoming traffic. Under current law, motorists are required
to “move over” to another lane, when safe to do so, in order to provide first
responders (police, fire, medical response) with adequate space to do their jobs
safely. AAA Arizona supports legislation that will grant the same protection
to roadside assistance personnel who are helping motorists with their broken
down vehicles.
With the large statewide deployment of photo enforcement systems on Arizona highways,
AAA Arizona will continue to monitor the program in order to ensure that the
rights of motorists are protected. We believe strongly that revenue derived from
photo-enforcement programs, at any level of government, should be used to improve
public and traffic safety and not be used to support unrelated programs.
The board of directors and management team at AAA Arizona look forward to the
opportunity to continue to work hard on behalf of our members and the motoring
public at large to improve safety and protect motorists’ rights during the 2009
legislative session.
