House Strikes Blow vs. Pickup Seat Belts

A key House panel has dealt a devastating blow to renewed efforts to require adults in pickup trucks to wear a seat belt. The House Consumer Affairs subcommittee Tuesday voted 4-3 against the measure. It was the first time in at least three years a House panel has considered the issue.

For several years, Georgia’s Senate lawmakers have voted to adopt the measure, but it has always hit a House roadblock. Georgia is the only state in the nation that exempts adults in pickups from wearing seat belts. The stance has cost the state millions of dollars in federal highway funds.

The state Senate approved the latest version of the seat belt measure in February. House lawmakers, worried it could negatively affect rural residents, have made sure the changes are killed each year.

House Panel To Look At Seat Belt Measure

Today, a House subcommittee will take a look at a measure to require adults in pickup trucks to buckle their seat belts. It is the first time in at least three years a House panel will consider the issue. For several years, Georgia’s Senate lawmakers have voted to adopt the measure, but it has always hit a House roadblock. Georgia is the only state in the nation that exempts adults in pickups from wearing seat belts. The stance has cost the state millions of dollars in federal highway funds.

The state Senate approved the latest version of the seat belt measure in February. House lawmakers, worried it could negatively affect rural residents, have made sure the changes are killed each year.

State Senate Again Tries Seat Belt Measure

The Georgia Senate approved a measure to require adults in pickup trucks to buckle-up. In recent years, proposals to change seat belt requirements have been passed by the Senate, but they’ve then been tied-up in the House. Georgia is the only state in the nation to specifically exempt adults in pickups from wearing seat belts. That has cost the state millions of dollars in federal highway funds.