NEW TONIGHT AND ONLY ON NEWS FIVE...
STATE LAW REQUIRES ALL CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF EIGHT TO BE FASTENED IN A SAFETY SEAT...
THIS SHOCKING CRASH TEST VIDEO SHOWS WHAT CAN HAPPEN WHEN KIDS ARE NOT PROPERLY RESTRAINED.
JUST LAST YEAR IN COLORADO---MORE THAN 400 CHILDREN AND ADULTS WERE KILLED IN TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS....MORE THAN HALF WERE NOT BUCKLED IN.
IN AN EFFORT TO RAISE
AWARENESS----THE POPULAR RIDE- SHARING SERVICE "LYFT" RECENTLY PARTNERED WITH C-D-O-T TO LAUNCH A SEAT BELT SAFETY CAMPAIGN...
BUT CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE
REPORTER ERIC ROSS FOUND THE COMPANY...
AND ITS MAIN COMPETITOR "UBER" FALL SHORT OF THAT "SAFETY" COMMITMENT.
BOTH LYFT AND UBER HAVE PROMISED
SAFER RIDES....BUT OUR UNDERCOVER INVESTIGATION FOUND DRIVERS FROM BOTH RIDE- SHARING COMPANIES WILLING TO BREAK THE LAW AND PUT CHILDREN
AT RISK.
WITH THE HELP OF NEWS 5 MORNING ANCHOR BRIE GROVES AND HER 1- YEAR-OLD SON....WE WENT UNDERCOVER TO SEE WHETHER UBER AND LYFT DRIVERS ARE FOLLOWING
COLORADO'S CHILD SAFETY SEAT LAWS.
WE REQUESTED FOUR RIDES----TWO FROM LYFT----TWO FROM UBER.
ERIC ROSS: IS IT OKAY IF WE DON'T HAVE A CAR SEAT?
DRIVER: TECHNICALLY, NO.
HOW FAR ARE WE GOING?
ERIC ROSS: TO WAL MART ON WOODMEN.
DRIVER: OKAY.
WE CAN DO THAT.
ERIC ROSS: YOU SURE?
DRIVER: YEH.
WE ULTIMATELY DECLINED TO ALLOW THE DRIVER TAKE US ANYWHERE WITHOUT A CAR SEAT.
IN COLORADO---- CHILDREN UNDER 1 MUST BE IN A REAR- FACING SAFETY SEAT.
STATE PATROL ENCOURAGES
PARENTS TO KEEP THEIR CHILDREN REAR FACING UNTIL THEY ARE AT
LEAST TWO AND WEIGH MORE THAN 20 POUNDS.
CHILDREN UNDER FOUR SHOULD REMAIN IN A FRONT-FACING SAFETY SEAT.
BETWEEN 4 AND 7 YEARS OLD---A
CHILD SHOULD BE RESTRAINED IN A BOOSTER SEAT.
ERIC ROSS: IS IT OKAY IF WE DON'T HAVE A CAR SEAT? WE'RE GOING TO WAL MART?
DRIVER: YEH.
I'LL ALLOW IT.
WHAT WE CAPTURED ON VIDEO....FAR DIFFERENT THAN THIS SEAT BELT SAFETY CAMPAIGN THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND LYFT LAUNCHED IN MARCH.
DRIVER: AS SOON AS YOU GOT IN THIS CAR, YOU BUCKLED UP.
PASSENGER: USUALLY I DON'T.
DRIVER: AN UNBUCKLED PERSON INCREASES YOUR RISK OF BEING SERIOUSLY HURT OR WORSE IN A CAR
CRASH BY 40 PERCENT.
THE NUMBERS ARE HIGHER FOR CHILDREN.
ACCORDING TO DRIVE SMART
COLORADO---55-PERCENT OF CHILDREN WHO DIE IN CAR CRASHES IN COLORADO ARE NOT PROPERLY RESTRAINED.
THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION SAYS CHILD SAFETY SEATS HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO REDUCE FATAL INJURIES BY 71-PERCENT FOR INFANTS....AND 54- PERCENT FOR TODDLERS.
BUT OVER AND OVER AGAIN---WE
FOUND DRIVERS FOR RIDE-SHARING SERVICES---WILLING TO LOOK THE OTHER WAY.
ERIC ROSS: IF WE DON'T HAVE A CAR SEAT IS THAT OKAY? WE'RE GOING TO TARGET.
DRIVER: I'M ALRIGHT WITH IT.
IT'S UP TO YOU GUYS.
SINCE ALL OF OUR RIDES TOOK PLACE IN COLORADO SPRINGS CITY LIMITS, WE WANTED TO SHARE OUR VIDEO WITH C-S-P-D AND TALK ABOUT CHILD SAFETY SEAT LAWS.
SUPRISINGLY, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT COULDN'T EXPLAIN THE
LAW AND REFUSED AN ON-CAMERA INTERVIEW. BUT WHAT WE CAPTURED ON HIDDEN CAMERAS HAD NEARBY AGENCIES CONCERNED.
"WE ALL HAVE SEEN THE VIDEOS, WE HAVE SEEN THE MOVIES WHERE SOMEONE HAS LOST THEIR LIFE TRYING TO HOLD A CHILD OR THE CHILD WAS KILLED WHILE THE PARENT WAS TRYING TO HOLD
THEM---THAT IS NO EXCUSE IN THIS DAY AND AGE WITH CHILD RESTRAINTS." GET CAUGHT WITHOUT A CAR SEAT---YOU COULD FACE AN $82 FINE....
"NOT ONLY CAN THE PARENT GET IN TROUBLE, BUT THE DRIVER OF THAT COMPANY CAN GET IN TROUBLE AS
WELL BECAUSE THE DRIVER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERYONE IN THAT VEHICLE." BUT NEWS FIVE INVESTIGATES FOUND
THE $82 PENALTY IS WEAK COMPARED TO OTHER STATES.
FOR EXAMPLE, IN CALIFORNIA---FAILING TO PROPERLY RESTRAIN A CHILD IN A CAR SEAT CARRIES A $475 FINE....
IN TEXAS---YOU COULD FACE UP TO A $250 FINE....
STATE PATROL HAS LITTLE SIMPATHY FOR DRIVERS WHO BREAK THE LAW.
"WE DO NOT GIVE WARNINGS.
IF WE SEE THAT YOU ARE NOT WEARING A SEAT BELT OR YOU ARE NOT PROPERLY RESTRAINED IN THE CAR, WE ARE GOING TO ISSUE A TICKET FOR THAT." "IF THERE IS AN ACCIDENT
ESPECIALLY AT HIGHER SPEEDS, IF THE CHILDREN OR EVEN THE ADULT PASSENGERS ARE NOT PROPERLY RESTRAINED, TYPICALLY THERE ARE WORSE INJURIES AS A RESULT OF THAT."
"ESPECIALLY IN THE NEWS INDUSTRY, WE SEE WRECKS OVER AND OVER AND SOME OF THEM ARE DEADLY BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE A SEAT BELT ON, BUT TO LET A CHILD WHO KNOWS NO
BETTER NOT HAVE A CAR SEAT IS
KIND OF SCARY." BUT ON OUR FOURTH AND FINAL TEST RIDE----WE GOT A DRIVER WHO WASN'T WILLING TO RISK ANYONE'S SAFETY.
DRIVER: ALL THREE OF YOU COMING?
ERIC ROSS: YES.
DRIVER: I NEED A CAR SEAT TO BE ABLE TO TAKE HIM.
HE WOULD BE THE ONLY DRIVER TO PASS OUR TEST.
DRIVER: "SOME UBER AND LYFT DRIVERS WILL...WILL UH...TAKE YOU EVEN WITHOUT CHECKING ON THAT AND THEN YOU'LL BE SOMEWHERE AND THEN IF YOU DON'T HAVE A CAR SEAT WITH YOU, A LOT
OF DRIVERS WON'T BRING YOU BACK BECAUSE THEY CAN'T LET THEM IN.
IT'S AGAINST
THE LAW FOR US TO DO IT.
PEOPLE...SOMETIMES THEY WILL DO IT, BUT I JUST...I, YOU KNOW, I JUST NEED HIM TO BE SAFE IN MY CAR." =========
AND THAT LAST DRIVER WHO DECLINED OUR RIDE WITHOUT A CAR SEAT WAS WITH LYFT.
AS FAR AS THE OTHER LYFT DRIVER AND TWO UBER DRIVERS WHO WERE WILLING TO BREAK CHILD SAFETY LAWS....WE REACHED OUT TO BOTH RIDE SHARE COMPANIES FOR COMMENT.
IN A STATEMENT---LYFT SAID PASSENGERS WITH CHILDREN ARE WELCOME TO RIDE IN VEHICLES AS LONG AS THEY HAVE A SAFETY SEAT
AND DRIVERS SHOULD DECLINE RIDES FROM PARENTS WHO DO NOT BRING ONE.
UBER DID NOT RESPOND TO OUR REQUEST FOR COMMENT---BUT WE DO KNOW THIS TOPIC HAS BECOME SO PROBLAMATIC THAT IN
ARIZONA....UBER RECENTLY SENT NOTIFICATIONS TO ALL OF ITS DRIVERS REMINDING THEM OF SAFETY SEAT LAWS.
ROB AND ELIZABETH...
BOTH COMPANIES HAVE ALSO ROLLED OUT A NEW OPTION WHERE PASSENGERS CAN REQUEST RIDES
WITH CAR SEATS ALREADY ON BOARD FOR AN EXTRA $10 FEE...AND WHILE THOSE SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE IN OTHER STATES...
IT'S NOT AVAILABLE HERE YET...
AND WHILE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SAFETY SEATS-- ACCORDING TO DRIVE SMART COLORADO-- 90- PERCENT OF PARENTS DON'T
HAVE THOSE SEATS INSTALLED PROPERLY??
MOST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES WILL ALLOW YOU TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT SO THEY CAN MAKE SURE IT'S PROPERLY INSTALLED.
IF THAT AGENCY DOESN'T HAVE
A CERTIFIED CHILD SAFETY SEAT INSTRUCTOR---THEY WILL BE ABLE TO POINT YOU TO OTHER AGENCIES WHICH WILL DO IT FOR FREE.
WE HAVE A LINK TO THOSE RESOURCES RIGHT NOW AT KOAA DOT CO