Tougher seatbelt law passes Virginia Senate committee

How can having your seltbelt ON get you a ticket!? I had my seatbelt on and got a ticket for not having a secondary seatbelt on!! I have the automatic shoulder seatbelts in my 1990 make car so I wear my seatbelt every time I drive, but today some jerk off cop gave me a ticket for not having a LAP BELT!!!! &%&#&^%*! These ridiculous laws are out of hand. What can we as the people do to abolish crappy laws?

You seem to have an issue with the police in general...you should know that by state code police do not have to wear a seatbelt if they can articulate why they dont need one at any given time. Try again...

Looks like more BIG BROTHER to me.

....police, fire, EMS, and postal workers are BY LAW exempt from seat belt laws. Most agencies have policies that govern whether or not their officers must wear a seat belt but the seat belt law does exclude those persons listed above. As far as worrying about accidents caused by people scrambling to put their seat belt on when they see a cop- if they put it on before putting the car in drive it's a moot point. For the morons that are worried about the cops pulling someone over for a seat belt infraction and seeing something else in the car and making an arrest AGAIN- put your seat belt on and you won't have to worry about it. Common sense people, common sense....

Our legislators are going to toughen seat belt laws to protect us from the fact that they won't outlaw cell phone use when driving. Just wish tougher seat belt laws would reduce traffic congestion.

I always wear a seatbelt because I choose to be safe. However, I do not think there should be a law saying any adult has to wear a seatbelt as long as there are still legally motorcycles on the roads. I mean really, with all the safety tests and the shell of steel around people driving cars, lawmakers insist on forcing them to wear seatbelts while, at the same time, there are people driving around on basically a speeding bicycle with no protection beyond a helmet. I have no problem with people riding motorcycles but it is completely irrational to allow that and yet legally require those using much safer vehicles to wear a seatbelt on top of all the other protection. Let adults make their own decisions.

I think the new proposed law is a great idea, and I don't feel like "Big Brother" is intruding at all. Yes, I agree it's a bit tougher, but something has to be done and I don't see any other realistic solutions, just complaints on how the gov't will be "intruding" on our rights or worry about getting a ticket for riding around in the back of a pickup..Last time I checked, it is illegal to ride in the bed of a pickup.

Vicki Harris, a lobbyist for State Farm Insurance, said that in states that have switched seat belt violations to a primary offense, studies have shown 10 to 15 percent more people buckle up.

When the current seat belt law was passed the insurance industry basically said the same thing and stated if the law was passed rates would go down. However comma...

I don't wear my seatbelt. I hate the thing. Maybe it is a little claustraphobia, I don't know. But why should anyone else care? I make my kids buckle their seatbelt EVERY time they get in the car.

The statistics being used about accidents are distorted. Would seatbelts have saved some of those lives? Probably. But there are many who were killed who would have died seatbelt or not. Also, there are cases where not wearing the seatbelt and getting ejected from the car saved a life. (granted it is a lower number) I saw a report just last week where a guy was ejected and totally unhurt. Had he stayed in the car, he would have surely died. The car smashed to pieces and then caught on fire. My brother owes his life to his seatbelt.

My point is: it's my life. Stay out of it, government!

Red light cameras were OK'ed the first time becuase they said they would decrease accidents at the intersections. Their reason for wanting them reinstated was because of lost ticket revenue. Reading between the lines says they didn't decrease the accidents. If they did, we would have heard that argument again. It's just another intrusion on our lives.

Its all about revenue and illegal searches. If you think its not, why do 40 million children ride in school buses everyday without seatbelts?

Now, anyone riding in the back of a pickup truck will be given a ticket. Even going 25 miles an hour in a subdivision.
Your wait to have your 9:00 am traffic case called will be extended to 2:00 or 3:00, all for a $25 fine. Good luck finding a seat in the courtroom. Any officer now, testifying in a drug case as to probable cause, can say they pulled them over because they weren't wearing a seatbelt, then saw drug paraphernalia. It will make it easy to turn illegal searches into legal ones. Cars will now start swerving on the highway as drivers frantically shift and squirm to put their seatbelt on before the police car passess them. The first time this erractic behavior causes a fatal accident, they will downgrade it to a secondary offense again. Big government equals big headache.

I remember when I was working force protection at Fort Lee, we couldn't allow anyone on base if they were not wearing a seat belt. I'll admit, I don't wear mines all the time (especially on really short trips), but I do advocate this law.

I can see both sides of the argument however. It should be up to the individual whether they want to wear a seat belt or not. But, citing the number of vehicle fatalities last year, I do see the reasoning behind it. My only question is who will be liable for this? Taxi drivers don't have to wear seatbelts because of the stranglelation (sp?) law. And I doubt police officers have to follow it for the same reasons.

First the judge asks the cop "why did you stop this man" So the cop says in court "um I didnt think I saw him wearing a seat belt and pulled him over then searched the car" Thats what will be a cops advantage when it goes to court. Turns out it was a black cop and a white driver or the other way around either way this is not a good law.

Nice work ladies and gentlemen. A real tough session getting through that one. I'd hope there were just a few more important items to take care of that day. You certainly didn't earn your keep with that one. Are you awarded stars for passed legislation? Senator Patricia Ticer, tell your constituents that put you up to that thanks for their input and thoughts and go on to more important issues. I'm not familiar with Richmond but I'm thinking this is your first year. Fun isn't it?

Now that you want to force me to buckle up,how about ticketing people for not flossing or brushing? Imagine how many teeth we can save.

Police seem to be among the worst drivers in this area. Now you want them to start trying to look into peoples cars while going down the highway to see if they're wearing a seatbelt? How many tickets were written for the existing seatbelt law? Most likely very few. I wear mine and would strongly advise anyone else to but like the other posters have said, they can only hurt themselves. I have noticed though that policemen seldom wear their seatbelt. Does that mean they will give themselves tickets? Did the policeman that was killed in the accident in his private vehicle a few months back receive a ticket? He is proof that a seatbelt can save you if it's used. I seem to recall about 3 OR 4 others in the past couple of months that have been thrown out of their vehicles and crushed by their own car. Our state reps should spend their time more wisely.

I wear mine, it's stupid not to, BUT, it's not the job of the government to mandate it. I think that insurance companies should be able to sell insurance to motorists, the same way the sell health insurance. "Do you wear a seat belt"? If so, you rates are lower. if not, your medical rates are higher, OR they sell you inrance for property damage only. If you choose not to wear a seat belt, YOU pay your own medical.

I don't care about a seat belt law. I always wear mine...so do my wife and kids. If some idiot in another car decides not to, and gets in an accident, and kills himself...that's ok...that's on him. He's only killing himself, not innocent third parties. I want laws on the books that protect the innocent public from getting hurt or killed by the acts of others. Case in point: outlaw the use of cellphones in cars, because when these goobers are distracted through their use of their phones, for texting, viewing and taking pictures, downloading music, or even calling someone, they can not only kill themselves in an accident (ok), but can also kill innocent people (not ok).

the government OWNS your body. Don't get me wrong you wouldn't ever catch me without a seatbelt. But this is ridiculous, since when has the government been able to enforce safety and health upon an individual, oh wait never mind.