DENVER—With up to $14 million in federal aid on the line, Colorado lawmakers are again trying to tighten the state’s seat belt law.
Colorado law requires drivers to buckle up, but violators can only be ticketed if they’re pulled over for another traffic offense and then found not to be wearing a seat belt. A bill up for its first hearing Tuesday would make it a primary offense, allowing authorities to pull over and ticket anyone not wearing a seat belt.
Previous attempts to change the law have failed because of concerns about civil liberties and racial profiling despite the promise of millions in federal grant money for transportation.
This year’s proposal (Senate Bill 296) says officers must clearly observe that drivers aren’t wearing a seat belt before making a stop. Violators would be fined $75, $10 more than current law.
This is the last year lawmakers have a chance to change the law and get more federal money.
Colorado Department of Transportation spokeswoman Stacey Stegman said the federal program is set to expire in September. She said Colorado could get between $12 million and $14 million if it changes its law, depending on how many other states also squeeze in under the deadline. Some of the money must be used for safety programs, but most of it could be spent on construction projects.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Arkansas became the 27th state to make failing to buckle up a primary offense last month. It says 82 percent of drivers in Colorado used seat belts in 2008, one percentage point less than the national average.
The clock is also ticking in Colorado because lawmakers must wrap up this year’s session by next Wednesday. The bill was introduced late last week and is just starting its journey through the Legislature.
The Senate Transportation Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on the bill Tuesday. If it passes, it still faces votes in the full Senate and then in the House.
The bill is sponsored by Sen. Betty Boyd, D-Lakewood, and state Rep. Su Ryden, D-Aurora.
