Alabama Senate committee OKs bill requiring parental notification for kids’ traffic citations

The Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday approved legislation requiring officers to notify parents about citations issued to their minor children.

HB 285, sponsored by Rep. Jamie Kiel, R-Russellville, would require any law enforcement agency issuing citations to those under the age of 19 to make a “reasonable effort to notify the driver’s emergency contact, if available.” The bill says the contact could be a single phone call, text message, or letter sent by U.S. mail.

“You may know this, or you may not, but your child could be driving your vehicle, using your gas, your insurance, you are liable for that child, but if that child were to get a ticket, you may never know about it,” Kiel told members of the committee during the meeting.

The House of Representatives approved the bill on March 23. There are three days left in the 2025 legislative session.

Several amendments were proposed for that section of the code to lessen the burden on law enforcement when they issue the citation. First, a single phone call was enough to be considered a “reasonable attempt.”

Language was inserted into the bill that permitted text messages and sending a letter by U.S. mail. The legislation excludes citations for illegally parking the vehicle.

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April Vafeas, whose son was killed in a collision in June 2022 after not wearing his seatbelt, told the committee that the bill was important to her.

“After he died, I found three traffic citations for not wearing his seatbelt,” she said. “They were all in our hometown and I had no idea. I am the kind of person who thinks that a seatbelt is important.”

Several members on the committee continued to express concerns about how much additional time that it would take law enforcement to comply with the provisions in the legislation because of the volume of citations they regularly issue.

“We keep putting guidelines, and we keep putting everything on law enforcement, I have got to vote against this just from being out there and writing tickets and knowing what is going on,” Sen. Lance Bell, R-Pell City, who has experience working as a law enforcement officer. “There is just no way. How do you find out the driver’s emergency contact? Things of that nature.”

Some senators on the committee suggested placing information on a website that parents can access to determine whether their children receive a citation.

The committee approved the legislation with the understanding that they will continue to update the bill as it moves into the Senate chamber.