(Columbia) June 7, 2005 - The General Assembly passed a primary enforcement seat belt bill last week. Governor Mark Sanford has until midnight Wednesday night to decide if he'll veto it.

Under that bill, police could stop and ticket drivers solely for not wearing a seat belt. The fine would be capped at $25. Violations would not be reported to insurance companies.

Proponents of the bill claim it would increase seat belt usage by 12 to 14% in a state which has one of the lowest usage rates in the country. The supporters also say the bill would save lives and bring federal dollars to South Carolina.

Governor Sanford has indicated he is not a fan of the bill because the fine is too low. He also says the fact that someone was not wearing a seat belt should be allowed in as evidence in car accident cases. He also says if someone is stopped for not wearing a seat belt, that should be reported to insurance companies.

If the governor does veto it, advocates say they hope to find enough votes to override.

Reported by David Stanton
Posted 6:11pm by BrettWitt