Gov. Crist signs safety belt law for state
TALLAHASSEE (AP) – Florida drivers will now have to buckle up or risk be collared by police under a bill signed into law Wednesday by Gov. Charlie Crist.
The governor signed the Dori Slosberg and Katie Marchetti Safety Belt Law (SB 344), which will allow police to ticket drivers who fail to wear vehicle safety belts starting June 30. The law is named in the memory of two teenage girls killed in accidents while not wearing seat belts.
“The most important function of government is to protect,” Crist said at a signing ceremony attended by the parents of the two teens. “Legislation like this will do just that.”
Florida patrol officers will be able to stop and cite a motorist for not wearing a safety belt without observing another traffic violation. It will also bring the state millions of dollars in federal funds for statewide transportation projects and save millions more in health costs.
Florida’s present law only authorizes police to ticket those drivers for a seat belt violation if they are stopped for another reason.
Dori Slosberg died in a South Florida accident 13 years ago while Katie Marchetti was killed after being ejected from a car in an accident near Tampa three years ago.
“Those families can rest assured that their beautiful children did not die in vain,” said Kevin Bakewell, senior vice president of AAA Auto Club South which backed the legislation signed by Crist. “Many lives will be saved and many serious injuries avoided.”
Slosberg’s father, former state Rep. Irv Slosberg, has pushed for the legislation for a decade, including the six years he spent in the Legislature.
“It’s a very bittersweet day,” Slosberg said. “Thousands of lives are going to be saved and I guess the bottom line is, ‘Thank you, Dori.'”
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates primary enforcement will prevent 142 fatalities in Florida each year.
Florida joins 26 states that already have laws for primary enforcement of safety belts.
Similar legislation failed for nearly two decades, in part because of concerns by some minority lawmakers who feared the tougher legislation could lead to increased racial profiling by police.