Jul 2, 2009 7:48 am US/Eastern
Drivers Ticketed For Not Buckling Up
Police Can Now Ticket Drivers For Not Wearing A Seat Belt
TALLAHASSEE (CBS4) ―
Drivers hitting the road Wednesday morning were warned to buckle up or face a fine.
A new law went into effect June 30th that now allows law enforcement to pull over vehicles where the driver or a passenger 18-years old or older in the front seat is not wearing a seat belt.
"Anyone under 18 in the vehicle must be in a seat belt no matter where they sit in the vehicle, front or back seat," said Florida Highway Patrol spokesman Lt. Pat Santangelo. "If the passengers in the vehicle are under 18 and not buckled up, the driver will get a ticket for each person under 18 in that vehicle who is not buckled up."
Under the previous law, drivers could only get a seat belt citation if they were pulled over for another violation.
"We know that the number one cause of traffic fatalities is people not wearing their seat belt," said Santangelo. "Last year there were three thousand traffic fatalities in the state of Florida. Over two thousand of those people who died in traffic crashes were not wearing their seat belts."
On the first day of enforcement of the new law, some drivers said they were unaware of it.
"I don't like it," said 19-year-old Juan Carlos Buitrago who was pulled over for not wearing a seat belt. "I don't feel comfortable wearing it, I don't know."
Some drivers who were pulled over said their seat belts were broken. They received a warning and instructed to have it fixed.
Drivers pulled over for violating the law in Miami-Dade County will be fined $114, in Broward the ticket is $100. No points will be applied to a driver's record.
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.
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.
CBS4 reporter Lisa Cilli contributed to this report
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
Super Bowl Ad: Snickers & Betty White
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
Comments