OPELIKA, Ala. (WTVM) - A new piece of legislation aims to enhance safety and accountability for minors behind the wheel.

House Bill 285, dubbed "TJ's Law," would require law enforcement officials to inform parents or legal guardians if their child receives a traffic ticket.

"After his funeral, we were going through his things and I found three different citations for failure to wear a seatbelt, all issued when he was a minor," said April Vafeas, who lost her son TJ and his girlfriend Lexi in a car accident two years ago.

Vafeas says neither was wearing a seatbelt, and she had no idea about the citations.

"If I could've taken his truck away for a month, taken him to school -- 16-year-old boys do not like for mama to drive them to school. That is something I would have addressed had I known about it," Vafeas said.

Vafeas says law enforcement, her insurance company, nor her son told her about the traffic citations. She believes something has to change to prevent tragedies like this.

This is why House Bill 285 is making its way through the legislature. If passed, law enforcement would be required to inform parents of minors about speeding tickets and other violations.

Representative Debbie Wood of Valley says this is another layer of protection for minors.

"This is just another way to put parents in control of their children if they're out of control while they're driving," Wood says.

Representative Wood says Interstate 85 has become a primary form of travel for drivers young and old, and she emphasizes that safe driving must be a priority.

"Children in Lee County use the interstate to move around, to get from exit to exit," Wood added. "It's become a hotspot for wrecks constantly, and I think speed has a lot to do with that."

"Although I can't say 100 percent that they would be alive if they had those seatbelts on, I am fairly certain that they would be," Vafeas said.

Lawmakers are confident the bill will pass this year. Vafeas hopes other parents will be spared the same pain.