Florida Becomes 27th State to Sign Safety Belt Law
On Wednesday May 6th, Governor Charlie Crist signed a law that will allow police to stop and ticket drivers if they are not wearing a safety belt.
Up until this signing, police could only cite a driver for not wearing a seat belt after they had been pulled over for another violation. Some may question why it took so long for Florida to enable this law. Reportedly, this enforcement was refused for almost two decades due to the fears of some lawmakers that such legislation would cause an increase in racial profiling. Florida is now the 27th state to put laws for primary enforcement of seat belts into action.
The Dori Slosberg and Katie Marchetti Safety Belt Law (SB 344), is named in memory of two young women: Slosberg, who was killed in an auto accident 13 years ago, and Marchetti, also killed in an accident near Tampa three years ago, neither of whom were wearing seat belts.
At the signing ceremony, Gov. Crist reportedly stated that "the most important function of government is to protect.....legislation like this will do just that" (The Miami Herald). It was estimated by the National Highway Safety Administration that this law will prevent about 142 fatalities per year in the state of Florida. The primary enforcement of safety belts will also be beneficial in that it is expected to bring in millions of dollars in federal funds for statewide transportation projects, along with saving millions more in health costs related to accidents.
The Law Office of John T. Grove handles automobiles accidents throughout central Florida. Not only do safety belts save lives but they also reduce the chance of serious injury in an accident. Not wearing a seatbelt can not only increase your chance of injury, but also will reduce the amount of your insurance claim.
