Here's one for you music lovers--you MUST attach those hefty speakers if you are going to use them in your car. (This isn't a joke--a child died and the law is a good outcome, but as I read this I wondered what on earth this guy was doing with a 56 pound speaker in his automobile?)

Teens' efforts pay off with law
Gov. Gregoire signs the Courtney Amisson Act, requiring car speakers to be bolted down.

By Jerry Cornfield, Herald Writer

OLYMPIA - A Snohomish teenager's death in 2002 has resulted in a new law requiring stereo speakers to be securely mounted inside vehicles.

Gov. Christine Gregoire signed the Courtney Amisson Act on Thursday, saying she wanted to ensure that "out of this terrible tragedy comes some good."

"We can all hope and pray that it will prevent anyone else from having happen to them what happened to Courtney," Gregoire said

Courtney was a 15-year-old sophomore at Snohomish High School who died of injuries suffered when a 56-pound speaker struck her in the back of the head during a car accident.

The law requires all stereo system equipment to be securely attached to the vehicle. Violations are a secondary traffic infraction, meaning a ticket can only be issued if a driver is stopped for another reason.

"It's a bill that will save lives," said Carol Amisson, Courtney's mother. "It takes less than 10 bucks for bolts to secure the speaker."

Ron Amisson, Courtney's father, said, "As simple as it would seem, it's amazing that it would have to come to the point of a law being made that somebody would have to be told to do this."

The law also directs the state's Traffic Safety Commission to prepare and distribute educational materials on risks posed by unsecured items in cars and trucks. Carol Amisson said she would help in that effort, if asked.

"Hopefully, no other parent will suffer the pain" of such a loss, she said.

Several of Courtney's friends attended the signing of the law. They began pursuing the bill three months after her death.

In each of the last three years, the students found a lawmaker to introduce the bill. They and Carol Amisson have testified at hearings each year.

"I'm excited that it finally went through," said senior Missy Waldron, 17, who spoke at hearings in 2003.

Carol Amisson praised the support and the perseverance of her daughter's friends. "At times when I couldn't squeak out a word, they'd touch my hand and say, 'We're doing it for Courtney.'"

On Thursday, students remarked that it was not easy work and that it did not come quickly, but that it will make a difference. They said while most students know about Courtney's death, many are driving around with unsecured stereo speakers in the back windows of their cars.

"People don't really care. They don't think about it, they just want the speakers and the sound," senior Julia Baggenstos said.

Each year, about 300 Snohomish High seniors travel to Olympia to lobby lawmakers on legislation as part of a government class taught by Tuck Gionet, who attended Thursday's signing.

This is the first of their proposed legislation to be signed into law.

Shortly before Gregoire signed the bill, students, their parents and school leaders met with Reps. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish, and John Lovick, D-Mill Creek.

"This is sort of a small thing for the rest of the people in the state, but it's a big thing for us," said Dunshee, prime sponsor of the bill this year. "We did this for Courtney."

The law takes effect in 90 days.