SEAT BELT BILL Seat Belt Bill Clears Key Committee
Reported by: Katy Brown
Web Producer: Bethany Simmons
Reported: Feb. 20, 2013 1:23 PM EST
Updated: Feb. 20, 2013 10:39 PM EST
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Charleston
, Kanawha County
, West Virginia
The discussion of making not wearing a seat belt a primary offense is back on the table in the West Virginia Legislature.
A bill which would make failure to wear a seat belt a primary offense has had no trouble getting out of the senate, but has always hit a road block in the House. Wednesday, however, It made it out of a key committee.
The Roads and Transportation Committee approved a revision of the law. If the bill makes it through the Judiciary Committee and the Senate, not wearing a seat belt will be a primary offense.
Under current law, police can only pull you over for another violation first before giving you a ticket for not wearing your seat belt.
"We passed the bill to make seat belt safety a priority, moving it to a primary offense,” said Del. Doug Skaff (D-Kanawha). “And I think we're putting safety first, whether we save one life or fourteen lives a year."
The bill has exceptions for those who have documented medical conditions.
The state Legislature will take up the seat belt bill for the fifth year in a row.
The law already states that adults in the front seat and anyone under the age of 18 in the car has to wear their seat belts. It's not a primary offense, however.
That means police have to pull you over for something else before they can give you a ticket. State Sen. Corey Palumbo's bill would make it a primary offense. The bill is on Wednesday's agenda.
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Katy Brown
