Tighten seat belt law in Fla.

Seat belts save lives, and Florida law already requires people to buckle up. But officers can ticket drivers for failing to wear seat belts only if they pull them over for another violation first. That should change.

The federal government will withhold millions in highway dollars from states that do not have "primary" enforcement laws, which allow police to stop drivers solely for not wearing seat belts. States have until June 30 to comply and must begin issuing citations by Sept. 30. In Florida's case $35.5 million in highway money is at stake, so legislators really don't have much choice.

A bill (HB1 and SB 344) to change Florida's law, sponsored by Rep. Richard Glorioso, R-Plant City and Sen. Nan Rich, D-Weston, comes before the House Roads, Bridges and Ports Policy Committee today. Twenty-seven states already have primary enforcement, and Florida is the largest state without it. Federal studies show that primary enforcement increases seat belt use and reduces fatalities.

Those who don't want government telling them what to do should remember that wearing a seat belt is already required by law. It makes little sense to have a law, particularly one that is so well-publicized, that cannot be enforced unless another law is broken. And when a driver is hurt in a crash, it is not just the driver who pays. It is society in general and taxpayers in particular who pick up the costs, from higher insurance premiums to the direct medical bills. There are legitimate concerns that making seat belt use a primary offense could make it easier for law enforcement officers to engage in racial profiling. That will require close monitoring, but police officers who are determined to discriminate find ways to do it now without stopping motorists for seat belt violations. Stopping racial profiling requires continued vigilance, regardless of the seat belt law.

The Legislature should pass the Dori Slosberg and Katie Marchetti Safety Belt bill, which makes failure to wear a seat belt a primary non-moving violation. The federal government estimates it would save the lives of 124 Floridians and more than $400 million in medical, insurance and other costs each year. Making it law will save health care costs, preserve millions in federal highway dollars — and save lives.