University Wire
03-29-2004
(The Gamecock) (U-WIRE) COLUMBIA, S.C. -- The opposition in South Carolina's state Senate to a bill that would allow police to stop motorists for not wearing seat belts is unconscionable, considering we have the third-highest rate of traffic fatalities in the nation.
Police officers in the state can already ticket drivers who aren't wearing belts when pulled over for other violations, but this bill would allow officers to pull drivers over for not wearing a seat belt, which is otherwise known as primary enforcement. While opponents to a primary enforcement statute say it restricts personal liberties, the costs to society must also be weighed. A high rate of deaths in auto accidents in South Carolina increases insurance rates for all, and S.C. Department of Public Safety figures show of the 186 auto fatalities in the state last year, 75 percent were not using seat belts.
It would be easy to argue that the nonuse of seat belts is a victimless crime, but an advertisement campaign released by Internet advocacy group www.noexcusesc.com seeks to prove otherwise. Originally released by an Irish group, the video points out that unbuckled passengers often injure others when they ricochet off others during an accident.
New cars come with seat belts for the simple reason that the auto industry, led by Robert MacNamara of Ford Motors, realized their use would save the lives of passengers who, lacking restraint, were often ejected from cars during collisions. South Carolina has a strong history of preserving the rights of individuals over the power of the state, and while that may be good in some circumstances, safety is not one of them.
No longer can the action of a select few legislators be allowed to undermine public safety along the state's roadways.
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