By Gail A. Tierney
CCSO Public Information Officer

Now that Governor Charlie Crist has put pen to paper, supporters of the state’s new primary seat-belt law are breathing a sigh of relief.

Starting June 30, Florida’s law enforcement officers will be allowed to pull over motorists solely for not wearing their seat belts.

Under the existing secondary seat-belt law, motorists can only be cited for failure to wear a seat belt if they are stopped for another infraction.

Once the new law goes into effect, drivers and front-seat passengers not buckled up in the state of Florida may be cited for a seat belt violation, punishable by a fine.

According to the Citrus County clerk of courts office, a seat belt violation currently carries a fine of $101. Of that figure, 44 percent goes back to the state’s coffers, while the remaining monies revert to local funding. It was indicated that there’s a chance this fine may increase at some point, but that remains to be determined.

Studies show that drivers are 13 percent more likely to fasten their seat belts if they know they can be pulled over for it. And seeing as the ultimate goal is to have more motorists buckling up, this could well be the motivation to do it.

Florida’s seat-belt usage rate is only about 79 percent, or 35th in the nation, and actually is lower than the national average of 85 percent.

The difference between being killed in a vehicle crash or saving a life often is as simple as obeying traffic laws and fastening a seat belt. Too many times one reads in a news report about someone being ejected from a vehicle on impact and dying as a result. And more than likely, all of us can agree that that’s the makings of a tragedy.

Besides boosting seat-belt usage rates and saving lives, the new primary seat-belt law has another noteworthy advantage. The legislation makes Florida eligible to draw up to $35 million in soon-to-expire federal grant monies created in 2005, as an incentive for states to pass stricter seat belt laws.

Florida is only the 28th state to enact a primary seat-belt law, while the remaining states have secondary laws. Amazingly, New Hampshire is the only state with no seat belt law whatsoever.

In early May, when he signed into law the primary seat-belt legislation, Gov. Crist stated that he believes the bill ultimately will save lives. The governor was quoted as saying, “The most important function of government is to protect.”

This statement mirrors the mission of the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office, which is to maintain peace and order by providing law enforcement services that are of the highest professional quality and are responsive to the needs of our community.