Jun 29, 2009 6:10 pm US/Eastern
Florida's New Seat Belt Law Begins At Midnight
Allows Law Enforcement To Ticket Drivers For Not Wearing A Seat Belt
Under Previous Law, Drivers Can Only Get A Seat Belt Citation If They're Pulled Over For Another Violation
TALLAHASSEE (CBS4) ―
If you don't already do so, you better buckle up next time you get in your car. Florida's new mandatory seat belt law goes into affect at midnight and that means drivers who don't click it can get a ticket.
The new law, signed by Gov. Charlie Crist in May, toughens the state's seat belt rules.
It allows police to pull over drivers who aren't wearing their seat belts. Under previous law, drivers could only get a seat belt citation if they were pulled over for another violation.
Motorists can be ticketed if either they or their front seat passengers fail to buckle up. All passengers under 18 also are required to wear seat belts regardless of where they are sitting.
The penalty is a $30 fine plus administrative and court costs.
The National Highway Safety Administration has estimated the new law will save 124 lives and prevent 1,733 serious injuries in Florida every year.
Most state laws go into effect on July 1, the first day of the new budget year, or on Oct. 1, the start of the fiscal year for the federal government and many cities and counties.
The seat belt law, though, is going into effect Tuesday to meet a federal grant deadline. As a result, Florida will qualify for up to $35 million in federal highway safety money.
Congress in 2005 offered the grants as an incentive for states to adopt primary enforcement laws. To qualify, a state must enact such a law by June 30, 2009, and begin issuing citations by September 30, 2009.
Florida is one of 30 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and four other U.S. territories that have passed primary enforcement laws, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The Florida statute is known as the Dori Slosberg and Katie Marchetti Safety Belt Law in memory of two young women killed in accidents while not wearing their seat belts.
Dori Slosberg's father, Irv Slosberg, is a former state lawmaker from Boca Raton who ran for the Florida House in 2000 because of his 14-year-old daughter's death. He sponsored the seat belt bill and other highway safety measures until 2006. He ran for the Florida Senate that year but lost in the Democratic primary.
Katie Marchetti's parents, who are from the Tampa Bay area, also have been leaders in the effort to get such a law passed.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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