DeFeo.biz News Wire
ATLANTA – Pickup truck drivers: Be sure to buckle up. Soon, that may be.
The state Senate this week voted 45-2 in favor of a bill to close a loophole in the state law that exempts the driver and front-seat passenger of off-road and pickup trucks from the state’s seat belt requirement. The measure now heads to the state House.
“This is an exciting day in the Senate,” state Sen. Don Thomas, R-Dalton, said in a news release. “We have once again voted to save lives and money by passing this legislation. With new leadership in the House, I am confident this bill will end up on the governor’s desk.”
More than two-thirds of pickup truck deaths can be attributed to people not wearing seat belts, officials say. By closing the loophole, Georgia might pay less in medical costs for those injured in such crashes and could see additional federal incentive grants from the Traffic Safety Institute, officials said.
The state Senate has previously passed similar legislation, but it stalled in the state House.
