Nanny state, redux

Think about the worst humiliation you could ever endure as a sixteen year old. And then think about this.

Starting Jan. 1, CA Kids 8 To 16 Must Use Car Booster Seat Unless They Pass 'Five-Step Test.'

Beginning Jan. 1, 2027, Assembly Bill 435 will require children ages 8 to 16 to pass the "Five-Step Test" before graduating from a booster seat to a standard seat belt.

The Five-Step Test includes that when a child is sitting all the way back against the auto's seat, knees are bent comfortably over the edge of the seat; the seat belt crosses the child’s shoulder between the neck and arm; the shoulder belt should snugly cross the center of the child’s chest and shoulder, not the child’s neck; the lap belt is as low as possible and is touching the child’s thighs; and the child can stay seated like this for the whole trip.

Can you imagine the looks that a sixteen year old will get at high school when the other kids see mommy unstrapping them from their booster seat? The ignominy and shame?

I am a lover of freedom. I was bummed when they passed the law that you couldn't sit in the bed of a moving pickup truck, once got a ticket for it. That is how we grew up. Basically free. Now a parent can get arrested for letting their kid walk to school by themselves. And you wonder why Generation Z is so dysfunctional. Over protected and neurotic.

So California is going to force a sixteen year old into a booster seat. Why not all short adults as well while you are at it? 

Stop with all these silly attempts to save us from ourselves.

Give me a freaking break.