COLUMBIA, S.C. - Law enforcement officials around South Carolina are preparing for the new statewide seat belt law that goes into effect Friday.

The new law is a primary one, which means law enforcement officers may pull a vehicle over if they suspect anyone inside is not wearing a seat belt. Under South Carolina's current law, which is secondary, officers may issue a ticket for a driver or occupant not wearing a seat belt only if they have stopped the vehicle for another violation.

But the new law also prohibits officers from setting up checkpoints specifically to check seat belt or from writing tickets for seat belt infractions at other public safety checkpoints.

Highway Patrol troopers are not getting special training for the new law's enforcement, Public Safety Department spokesman Sid Gaulden said.

"We're not going to start off writing everybody tickets," Gaulden said. "We're trying to educate the public and law enforcement about what to do and what not to do."

The Public Safety Department has been running public service announcements in Spanish and English since mid-November about the change. The agency also plans simultaneous news conferences Thursday in Columbia, Greenville, Aiken, Charleston and Florence, The State newspaper reported.

At a luncheon previewing the law for Hispanic leaders last month, Highway Safety Director Max Young said violators of the new law will be fined $25 and the infraction will not go on the driver's record or be reported to insurance companies.

The head of Richland County's Traffic Safety Unit said he wasn't planning a large-scale crackdown. "We're not going to go make a department-wide, concerted effort on Dec. 9 to swoop down out there and hand out tickets," said Sgt. Flynn Tanner. "Education is the primary focus."

Lexington County Sheriff James Metts is sending a memo to all deputies reminding them about the new law, and he's asking supervisors to remind them, as well. Columbia police Sgt. Florence McCants said most of the city police department's efforts have been on "educating our officers of the new laws."

"I'm sure tickets will be written, but not more than they have been in the past," McCants said.