Pennsylvania seat-belt law is effective as is…
Feb 18th, 2009 | By Michael L. Saile, Jr., Esq. | Category: Blogs, Criminal & TrafficIf Pennsylvania changed its current seat-belt law to a primary enforcement seat-belt law, the Commonwealth would be in a position to gain nearly $6 million in federal highway safety money. A primary enforcement seat-belt law would allow police to stop a motorist solely for failure to buckle-up. The way the PA law currently stands, police cannot pull an individual over simply because he/she is not wearing a seat-belt. A motorist can only be cited for failure to wear a seat-belt if he/she is stopped by police for another reason.
States that make this shift to a more restrictive seat-belt law would be granted federal dollars, as long as they do so before July 2009. If Pennsylvania were to go this route, the PA General Assembly would have to pass a Bill and have Governor Ed Rendell sign it into law by June 30, 2009.
A 2008 report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that states with primary enforcement laws have an 88% usage rate of seat-belts, while states with secondary enforcement laws (such as PA), have only a 75% usage rate of seat-belts by motorists. However, PennDot reports that in the state of Pennsylvania, 86 percent of drivers buckle-up. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania received a $28 million federal grant for sustaining an 85 percent seat-belt usage rate among motorists for two consecutive years.
These seat-belt usage statistics make the passage of a primary enforcement law a tough sell for PA lawmakers, many of whom feel enough is being done to keep Pennsylvania motorists safe. Both representatives from PennDot and PA State legislators feel that education rather than government mandate is the key to keeping motorists safe by way of seat-belt usage. Through scientific evidence it has been proven that seat-belt usage has saved many lives and reduced serious injuries in PA car accidents.
PennDot reports that the seat-belt usage rate in PA in 1990 was about 70 percent, compared to 87 percent in 2007, with a strong belief that education about the safety advantages of buckling up has been the driving force behind this increase in seat-belt safety awareness and usage. There is currently no pending legislation in Harrisburg calling for a primary seat-belt enforcement law.
Of course, if the seat-belt law becomes a primary offense in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, there will be many, many more other motor vehicle charges that will result from a PA vehicle stop such as DUI (driving under the influence).
Do you think we need a tougher Pennsylvania seat-belt law?
