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New Seat Belt Law In Florida
June 30, 2009
Law enforcement officers in Florida can now stop you for not wearing your seat belt, even if you are not speeding or committing another traffic offense.
Before Tuesday, officers had to a have another primary reason for pulling you over, but today they can pull you over for just the seat belt offense.
The new primary seat belt law carries at $93 ticket for failing to buckle up.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that in a state with a primary seat belt law, such as the one that begins today in Florida, about 14 percent more drivers use their safety belts. In 2008, Florida ranked 35th in the nation in seat belt use.
The NHTSA believes Florida’s new seat belt law will save 124 lives each year, and another 1,700 will avoid serious injury just because they choose to buckle up. Increased seat belt use translates to dollars too; the NHTSA believes the costs associated with traffic accidents will fall over $400 million.
Florida’s new seat belt law will net the state $35.5 million in federal funds under the Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transporation Act, which was formerally known as the Highway Bill. States that implemented a primary seat belt law by today qualified for the federal dollars.
Comments
10 Responses to “New Seat Belt Law In Florida”
Why is it ok to have a law like this? But yet it doesnt apply to all??? Example PBSO transport???
SEAT BELT LAWS IN ANY STATE ARE “UNCONSTITUTIONAL” HOW IS IT THE GOVERMENTS. BUSINESS TO TELL ME THAT I HAVE TO WARE A SEAT BELT. THE ONLY PERSON I’M ENDANGERING IS MY SELF. IT’S JUST ANOTHER INTRUSION BY GOV. INTO OUR FREEDOMS.
Why do we have a no helmet /no seat belt law for motorcyclist and then pass a seat belt law for people in automobiles that have less chance of being injured because they are protected by steel, airbags, etc.
Sounds like a new way to make money off motorists. I wear my seat belt 99.9% of the time. I was 2 blocks from my house and got a seat belt ticket for $100 as I watch a motorcyclist zip past us. I have a perfect driving record also. Do you think I could have gotten a warning for a 1st offense? NO WAY!
No its not about time !! Is this the USA or Russia ? Were they have to do as theay are told . It is our life our car and our business whether we want to wear a seatbelt or not !! Wearing a seat belt for me is going to cause an accident ..
the seatbelt cuts right into my neck !!! No matter how i adust it ..or put a pad on it ..it cuts right into my neck and i am having to constantly move it when im driving which is going to cause me to have an accident ..or cut my neck off if im in an accident !!! How and where do i get a form for medical exemption ???
As one of millions of claustrophobic people who cannot buckle up (yes, there is a medical exemption, and I have one) this is irritating because now I have to be stopped, show my driver’s license, have it verified and waste both my time and the police officer’s time.
As long as I am not wearing my seat belt I am not a danger to anyone … when I put it on I become irritable and upset and a danger to myself and others. But no one cared about that – they just listened ot alarmist who say “if one person is saved …” .
Thanks a lot, I hope this fails the first time it is taken to court.
What about the $30,000,000 in government funding that our state is now going to receive because we’ve passed this legislation? As long as our country is in the business of legislating morality, we might as well legislate something as smart as seat belt usage. Really, folks, there are bigger fish to fry. Just buckle up.
you mean to tell me a vehicle weighs about 3200 pounds are more with more protection than anything a motorcycle nothing and they dont have to wear a helmet and i got to wear a seatbelt man come on how stupid is that it are to be at my discretion if i wont to wear my seatbelt my life last time i checked but somebody on a motorcycle with no helmet no protection and most of the time pull out right n front of you stupid law go catch a drug dealer and leave us people alone
When NHTSA says lives will be save because people “choose” to buckle up, that is false.
I buckle up because it is a law. Because I don’t want a ticket.
I buckle up my grandchildren for safety. But when I buckle up, it is because of the law. I don’t choose it.
I think there is something wrong with our laws that say we Have To buckle up, but if we carry just the right amount of insurance, we can ride our motorcycles without a helmet. How stupid is that?
The basic premise of wearing a seat belt is a very intelligent move, but the way the laws are enforced are a little troubling. Like the push for strict enforcement during times of budget crisis. With today’s technology, we’re seeing more and more traffic enforcement tactics that are more about revenue generation than public safety, and Florida has cities using some of them. Red light cameras are very effective revenue generators especially when cities shorten the yellow signal timing below Federal standards. The problem is this manipulation of the signal timing also increases accidents as independent studies show over and over. Speed cameras are very effective at revenue generation when speed limits are set below design thresholds. Seat belt laws, random road blocks, etc are sold as public safety measures, but the way they are enforced sometimes crosses the line into revenue generation, and with the current economy, look for more “safety” measures with stiff fines.
Good law. It’s about time.