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Article published Jan 12, 2005
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Lawmakers should approve seat belt bill and move on to other business
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Lawmakers should quickly pass the seat belt bill and take up
the rest of the state's business they ignored last year due to their foolish
obstinacy on this legislation.There is quite simply no realistic reason to
oppose the seat belt bill. It would save lives. It would not violate anyone's
rights. It would allow police to enforce a law already on the books.Lawmakers
returned to Columbia Tuesday as South Carolinians learned that traffic
fatalities were up last year. No surprise. South Carolina has one of the highest
traffic fatality rates in the nation.Part of the reason for that high fatality
rate is probably lack of seat belt use. Most of the people killed in traffic
accidents are not wearing seat belts. Last year, almost three-quarters of the
people killed were not buckled up.Yet some lawmakers refuse to go along with a
bill allowing primary enforcement of the seat belt law. The state already
requires motorists to wear seat belts. But police aren't allowed to enforce the
law. They can only ticket people for not wearing a safety belt if they stop them
for some other reason.Why have a law that you prohibit the police from
effectively enforcing? Because many lawmakers didn't like the purpose of the law
in the first place. They believe that the seat belt law infringes on people's
liberties.Nonsense. Wearing a seat belt is a minor precaution that does not
impinge on citizens' right to engage in any meaningful activity.State Sen. Jim
Ritchie, R-Spartanburg, is correct when he points out that the roads are a
public asset, and the state has the ability and the obligation to control safety
on those roads. The state limits drivers' age. It controls who can drive on the
roads. It controls what can be driven on the roads. It can and should require
people to utilize their safety belts.The seat belt law had the support of most
lawmakers last year, but a few politicians filibustered the bill and held it up.
This year, the rules are being changed, and such a filibuster should be more
difficult.The seat belt law would save lives. It would reduce the state's
fatality rate, which would bring down insurance rates. And the legislative
roadblocks also are coming down. Both houses of the General Assembly should pass
this bill as soon as possible and get it out of the way. This has been an
unreasonable controversy for too long in this state.