Putting partisan and individual interests aside, a unique coalition was formed around a simple, overwhelming concept -- seat belts save lives.

Already this year, 483 South Carolinians have died on our state's highways -- 30 more than by this time last year. Law enforcement officials conclude that less than half of those killed were wearing seat belts. With all the positive changes our state is making in education, economic opportunity and infrastructure, many of us believed it was time to have a stronger emphasis on highway safety, including seat belt use.

I want to start by thanking highway safety advocates who brought this issue to the forefront. Many of them have worked for years, researching traffic crashes, searching for ways to make them fewer and further between. Thanks to the South Carolina Department of Transportation and its Safety Director, Terecia Wilson, proponents of a stronger seat-belt law had the cold, hard facts to support our position. Mrs. Wilson is a nationally recognized highway safety expert whose wealth of knowledge was invaluable to this effort.

A very special thanks goes to the men and women of our state's law enforcement community, including those at the Department of Public Safety. Every day they witness the dangers that our ever-expanding highway system can pose. They carry out their duties with a deeply held concern for the safety of our citizens, and too often are charged with the responsibility of informing a crash victim's loved ones that something terrible has happened. For their help in addressing lawmakers' concerns during this debate, and for all they do, I am extremely grateful.

Countless private individuals, non-profit groups, and business organizations worked behind the scenes to provide information and convince policymakers that South Carolina needs this reform. I want to especially thank Don McElveen of the Public Safety Foundation and his associates who spent many years working on this issue. The state Chamber of Commerce is also to be commended for helping us point out that safer travel is good for business.

Another important contributor to the success of this legislation was an informed public, kept so by news outlets across the state. Reporters throughout South Carolina worked diligently to get the facts about this issue and about the difficulty of the legislative process out to our citizens.

I want to thank all the members of the General Assembly who worked to ensure that this measure was acted on in the 116th session. Thanks to the members of the Senate, especially Sens. Ryberg, Lourie and Ritchie who served on the conference committee appointed to hammer out differences between House and Senate versions of the bill. On the House side, I commend members of the Transportation Safety Subcommittee, especially its chairman, Rep. Phil Owens, who did a superb job helping craft this legislation. Later, Reps. Owens and Jerry Govan, and other members who truly believe this will reduce highway deaths in South Carolina, reached across party lines to deliver an overwhelming 81-34 vote in favor of the bill.

I want to thank Gov. Mark Sanford for recognizing the importance of and his support for this change and for withholding his veto of the bill. I understand and respect his reservations and confess that for many years I opposed making the seat-belt law a primary traffic violation. I agree with the governor that more personal responsibility is key to dealing with many of the issues we face and that passing laws governing personal habits can only work to the extent that people accept the rule of law. However, after studying the facts about seat-belt usage and its direct relation to the chances of surviving a crash, I concluded that the benefits reasonably expected from such legislation far outweigh the fine imposed on an individual who chooses not to comply with the new law.

Officials in our state have kept a sharp eye on what is happening in Washington, D.C. President Bush and Congress have made highway safety a national priority and are encouraging states to compete for federal dollars by strengthening seat-belt laws and raising usage. We hope to receive some of these funds by giving law enforcement officers the right to stop motorists not wearing a seat belt. However, money will not bring back those we have already lost, and we cannot pay people to buckle up. So whether we get money from Washington is far less important than whether we can persuade our citizens to use proven safety devices to reduce their chances of suffering serious injury or death.

The question of money brings me to my final point. Many have expressed concern because they believe the new law represents just another way for politicians and local police departments to dip into people's pockets. I think I speak for all who support this measure when I say that I hope no new fines are collected because we hope all people will make the safe, responsible decision to buckle up.

I would truly rather have lives saved than money collected.

REP. RONNY TOWNSEND, DIST. 7

Chairman, S.C. House Education

and Public Works Committee

429 Blatt Bldg.

Columbia