ATLANTA (February 13, 2009) – The Georgia Senate voted Thursday to pass Senate Bill 5, which enforces seat belt use for pick-up truck drivers. The measure, sponsored by Sen. Don Thomas (R-Dalton), passed 49 to 4, with an exemption for vehicles used exclusively for farming and agricultural purposes. The change in the law would also make Georgia eligible to receive up to $5 million from the Federal government for transportation improvements.
“The primary concern in passing this legislation is to save lives,” said Thomas. “Deaths and injuries resulting from not wearing seat belts not only harm the person involved, but also put a strain on Georgia’s health care and trauma systems.”
In 2007, a similar bill failed to achieve the support it needed to pass because of the opposition of agricultural advocates, who feared that it would burden farmers using their trucks to drive from field to field or traveling short distances along public roadways. This year, Sen. Thomas took their concerns into account, preserving an exemption for “agricultural uses.”
The bill has widespread support among Georgians, according to a phone survey by AAA. Last year, 90 percent of Georgians polled, including a strong majority of rural responders, said they supported repealing the pick-up truck seat belt use. Of the 15 percent of rural residents that disagreed with the bill, half changed their minds when pollsters told them that closing the loophole could get Georgia Federal funds for transportation.
According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics, 67 percent of Georgians who die in pick-up trucks are not wearing seat belts. Similar legislation has been effective in other states. After lawmakers in Indiana closed a seat belt law loophole in 2007, the number of pick-drivers that buckled up jumped 13 percentage points, and an estimated 284 lives have already been saved.
SB 5 now heads to the House of Representatives for consideration.
Sen. Don Thomas serves as chairman of the Health and Human Services Committee. He represents the 54th Senate District, which includes Murray and Whitfield counties and portions of Catoosa and Gordon counties. He may be reached by phone at 404-656-6436 or by e-mail at don.thomas@senate.ga.gov.
Press Release
For Immediate Release:
February 13, 2009
For Information Contact:
Joy Fethe, Legislative Aid
joy.fethe@senate.ga.gov
404.656.6436