The Florida legislature will send a bill to Gov. Charlie Crist that will allow law enforcement officers to stop vehicles to write tickets merely for seat belt violations. The Governor says he will sign it.
Prior to the new law, police could only write a ticket for a seat belt violation if you had been stopped for some other traffic law enfraction. The state fine will be $30, but local govenments will be able to tack on their own fines. According to the Orlando Sentinel, this could result in fines ranging from $93 – $119 for seat belt violations.
The bill has been proposed several times in the past but has met opposition each time. Perhaps it’s the one-time $35.5 million traffic safety grant that was about to expire that the legislators had their eyes on this time. Let’s hope they spend it wisely!
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