Supporters of a stronger seat belt law in South Carolina appear to have the votes needed to pass the bill in the state Senate. The question now is whether they'll be able to get to the vote, because the president pro tempore of the Senate is blocking it.

Sen. Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, is holding the Senate floor to block the bill, because he's against passing a primary enforcement seat belt bill.

Primary enforcement allows police and troopers to pull someone over only for not wearing a seat belt. South Carolina now has a secondary enforcement law, meaning police can write a ticket for a seat belt violation only if they pull someone over for another violation.

The bill needs at least 24 votes in the Senate to pass. It's already passed in the House. Several senators who were undecided now say they'll vote for the bill, and some who were against it have changed sides.

One of those is Sen. John Courson, R-Columbia. "This is important not only for the safety issue, but also for economic reasons," Sen. Courson says. The economic reasons are that people who are injured because they're not wearing a seat belt end up costing everyone, either in higher insurance costs or in higher costs to taxpayers through Medicaid and Medicare.

But Sen. McConnell held the Senate floor, trying to refute all the arguments in favor of the tougher seat belt law. He says countries that have primary seat belt enforcement have not seen a 50 percent reduction in highway deaths, as supporters claim.

His main argument against the bill is that it's more government intrusion into personal decision-making. He says it's smart to wear a seat belt, but it's a slippery slope to start allowing the government to stop you if you don't.

But supporters point out that seat belt use has gone up in states that pass primary enforcement laws, and higher use means fewer deaths and injuries.

They also point out that the state now has a law requiring you to wear a seat belt, but police can't do anything if they see you breaking that law.