It's been five years since the state Legislature even took a roll call vote on a primary seat belt law.
Beatriz Fuentes, shown on the left, with her daughter, Natalie, who was killed in a car crash in 2006 in Springfield while failing to wear a seat belt.BOSTON -- A Springfield woman, stricken by the death of her daughter in car crash, pleaded with state lawmakers to upgrade enforcement of the state’s seat belt law.
Beatriz Fuentes, of Springfield, whose daughter Natalie was not wearing a belt when she was killed in an accident five years ago, joined with medical doctors, legislators and other advocates in a new push for approval of a “primary” seat belt law in Massachusetts.
The proposed law, called “Natalie’s bill,” would allow police to pull over a motorist solely for failing to wear a seat belt.
A mandatory seat belt law exists in Massachusetts, but it includes weaker "secondary" enforcement for adults. Current law allows police to ticket people for failing to wear a belt only if they are pulled over for another reason.
Thirty-one states currently have primary belt laws including Connecticut, Maine and New York.
“I’m counting on each of you to push this bill forward and make Massachusetts a safe state with a primary seat belt law,” Fuentes told members of the Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security, which held a public hearing on the bill for a primary belt law.
Her voice cracking with emotion, Fuentes told legislators about how her daughter was a passenger in a car that flipped at Carew and Savoy streets in Springfield in July 2006 when the driver attempted to avoid a car that suddenly stopped in front of them. Alcohol and speeding were not involved in the accident, she said.
“A seat belt would have kept her in the car,” Fuentes said. “A seat belt would have saved her life.”
The legislative committee took the bill under advisement. No one opposed to a primary belt law spoke at the hearing.
In the past, critics have said a primary belt law would give police another tool for pulling over minorities such as Hispanics and blacks. Opponents have also said that a primary law goes too far in infringing on personal choice.
Fuentes, a Latina, said racial profiling is a legitimate concern, but is a different issue from a primary enforcement of a seat belt law.
Rep. Nicholas Boldyga of SouthwickRep. Nicholas A. Boldyga, R-Southwick, who was a police officer in Simsbury, Connecticut from 2004 to 2007, said he doubted that a primary law would prompt many people to strap on a belt since the bill would impose a $50 fine for infractions, up from the current $25.
“I don’t know if that is really going to work if people don’t want to wear their seat belts,” said Boldyga, a member of the committee who emphasized that he personally wears a belt and he believes they save lives.
Boldyga said many Connecticut motorists would fail to wear a belt even with a primary enforcement law. Boldyga said police in Connecticut would have special patrols to enforce the law and would ticket people all day long for neglecting to strap on a belt.
The fate of the bill is unclear. It's been five years since the state Legislature even took a roll call vote on a primary belt law.
In May 2006, the Senate voted 24-15 to approve a primary belt law, but the House voted 80-76 to defeat the bill.
Sen. James T. Welch, a West Springfield Democrat, testified in support of the bill, saying there is no better way to boost the use of seat belts in Massachusetts. The state has one of the lowest rates of seat belt use in the nation, according to federal statistics.
“The time has come for primary enforcement and a new law here in Massachusetts,” Welch said. “It’s one thing we can do to make sure we are trying to save as many lives as we can.”
Other supporters of “Natalie’s bill” including Dr. Gregory W. Parkinson of Falmouth Hospital and Earl F. Weener, member of the National Transportation Safety Board, said that a primary belt law could save lives and money.
Weener said a primary belt law would annually save 18 lives and prevent 650 serious, non-fatal injuries from vehicle accidents in Massachusetts. Such a law would also save $170 million in related medical and other costs, he said.
The state could also receive $13.6 million in federal incentive money this year if it passed a primary belt law by June 30, said Mary Maguire, a director at AAA Southern New England.
“Natalie’s bill is a winner,” Maguire told legislators.