COLUMBIA--A House subcommittee approved legislation Tuesday that would require drivers to buckle up.

The House Transportation Safety Subcommittee approved the bill that would create a primary law allowing seat belt enforcement. Currently, police cannot ticket a motorist who is 18 or older for seat-belt violations unless the motorist is pulled over for another reason, such as speeding.

Seat belts save lives and prevent injuries, said Terecia Wilson, safety director of the state Transportation Department.

In each of the past five years, more than 1,000 people were killed in traffic crashes statewide, Wilson said.

"We know that a primary law will save lives and reduce injuries in South Carolina," said Belinda Jackson, regional program manager for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "It will also save South Carolina's taxpayers, insurance rate-payers, business and industry millions of dollars in health care costs -- all of which impact the state's economic well-being."

Many lawmakers have concerns about a primary seat belt enforcement law. Some say it's an individual's choice.

But taxpayers bear the burden when an individual makes that choice and is involved in a crash, Jackson said.

"Taxpayers have rights, too," she said. "They have the right not to pay the bills, especially when (the accident) was preventable."

Rep. Joe Neal, D-Hopkins, said racial profiling remains a top concern for him under a primary enforcement law, but he thinks it's time to make the change.

"It's clear that all of our citizens will benefit from a primary enforcement law," Neal said.

The bill now moves to the full Education and Public Works Committee for debate.