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Scott Signs Evers’ Bill, Unbuckles Seat Belts For Rural Letter Carriers
May 23, 2015
Rural letter carriers in Florida no longer have to wear seat belts while working their routes, under a bill signed Friday by Gov. Rick Scott.
The bill, sponsored by Greg Evers, R-Baker, took effect immediately. The bill adds an exemption to the state’s mandatory seat-belt law for rural letter carriers “performing duties in the course of his or her employment on a designated postal route.”
The state’s law requiring motorists to wear seat belts already included limited exemptions, such as for workers collecting garbage or recyclable goods. During floor debate on April 22, Rep. Irv Slosberg, D-Boca Raton, warned the bill could be the “unraveling” of primary enforcement of the seat-belt law. He said mandatory use of seat belts has helped reduce traffic fatalities.
Comments
3 Responses to “Scott Signs Evers’ Bill, Unbuckles Seat Belts For Rural Letter Carriers”
According to my state representative, this is modeled after the same exemptions that apply to FedEx and UPS. It puts them all on the same footing.
The point of this bill was not to encourage rural carriers from not wearing their seatbelt while delivering, it is to exempt them from being ticketed while performing their duties. In many other states this law already existed. Even in Florida garbage collectors, newspaper delivery, etc. Already are exempt….just not carriers that are required by the Postal service to use their own left hand drive vehicle to deliver the mail.
The danger lies solely on the usps. As long as they require carriers to adapt to driving utilizing their own vehicles then the carrier should not be penalized for having to adapt to do so.
Postal regulations require them to utilize their seatbelt when traveling to and from their delivery area.
This makes about as much sense as allowing motorcyclist ride without helmets.