June 10, 2009
Judge Tom
0

Too young for traffic court?

Not in New Mexico.  Five-year-old David Kirk-Peet just attended a traffic-safety class with his mother and received a certificate for completing it successfully.

It seems that little David didn’t like being strapped in and continuously removed his seatbelt.  A police officer spotted him unbuckling it and gave his mother a traffic ticket for failing to restrain him. She asked the officer to speak with David about the importance of seatbelts.
seatbelt2

Photo by Sappymoosetree (Flickr)

She brought David to court with her and the judge also spoke to him. He ordered him to attend the class with his mother. He has reportedly worn a seatbelt ever since his mom got the ticket, and stated after the class that “You want to get safe.”

Judge Tom

The Author Judge Tom

Judge Tom is the founder and moderator of AsktheJudge.info. He is a retired juvenile judge and spent 23 years on the bench. He has written several books for lawyers and judges as well as teens and parents including 'Teen Cyberbullying Investigated' (Free Spirit Publishing) and 'Every Vote Matters: the Power of Your Voice, from Student Elections to the Supreme Court' (Free Spirit Publishing). In 2020, the American Bar Association published "Cyberbullying Law," the nation's first case-law book written for lawyers, judges and law students. When he's not answering teens' questions, Judge Tom volunteers with the American Red Cross and can be found hiking, traveling and reading.

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