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Buckle up or pay up, senators seek change in law Law enforcement could pull over drivers if they aren't wearing seat belts, under a bill the Senate approved 46-20 on Thursday. The bill would make not wearing a seat belt a so-called "primary offense," meaning police are allowed to pull over and ticket a driver for that violation alone. Under current law, police can only ticket an unbelted driver if they've already pulled them over for another violation. Many states already list not wearing a seat belt as a primary offense, and supporters of the Senate bill said it's well-documented that adding that provision to law has driven down the rate of traffic deaths. "I can tell you that if we pass this bill today, and the House passes it and the governor signs it, we'll start saving 40 to 60 lives every year on Minnesota roads," said Sen. Steve Murphy, DFL-Red Wing. "That's worth it." Whether the House actually might follow suit is unclear. Currently, there's no House companion to Murphy's seat belt bill. Murphy said Gov. Tim Pawlenty has indicated he would sign the bill. Pawlenty's office didn't respond to a request seeking confirmation of that. A few senators said the bill was unnecessary since wearing a seat belt is already required by Minnesota law. They said it's another symbol of government's insistence on telling people how to live their lives. "All this is going to do is allow police officers to pull anyone over for anything," said Sen. David Tomassoni, DFL-Chisholm. "Next thing you know, we're turning this into a police state." ---------------------------------------------------
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