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May 05, 2006
STATES SNUBBING INCENTIVES FOR TOUGHER BELT-USE LAWS
USA TODAY reports that despite nearly a half-billion dollars in Federal funding incentives to promote tougher state belt-use laws, “only three states — Alaska, Mississippi and Kentucky — have passed so-called primary seat belt laws, which allow police to stop motorists solely for failing to wear safety belts.” It quotes a state legislative staffer as saying, “There's a backlash sometimes from legislators who feel like this is the federal government saying, 'Look, states, this is what you should be doing,' At this point, the federal incentive money hasn't had much impact."
Proposed laws have run into concerns about government intruding too much in the lives of motorists, as well as worries about racial profiling, the paper says, adding that some states are achieving high seat belt use without primary laws, government statistics show. Twenty-five states and the District of Columbia now have such laws. Twenty-four states have secondary seat belt laws, which require police to spot another violation before ticketing drivers for seat belt infractions. New Hampshire has neither.
US A TODAY said study released last month by the National Safety Council found that crash victims in states with primary seat belt laws have a 17% greater chance of surviving than those in states with only secondary laws. NHTSA says seat belt use averages 11% higher in primary-law states.
Posted by MVHAP at May 5, 2006 06:58 PM