House adopts seat belt changes to include trucks

By Greg Bluestein

ATLANTA -- Buckle up, Georgia. The state is poised to join the rest of the nation in requiring adults in pickup trucks to wear seat belts after years of failed attempts.

It wasn't easy. The measure's supporters came armed each year with frightening statistics about the number of lives that could be saved, accidents avoided and medical costs saved if Georgia ended its distinction as the last state in the nation to exempt adults in pickups from buckling up.

And each time the effort was stymied in the state House by rural lawmakers who see the rule as an unnecessary regulation. But on Tuesday, the measure sailed through the House by a 132-29 vote after supporters beat back an amendment that would have weakened the rules.

"This is a common sense measure whose time has come," said Mickey Channell, a Greensboro Republican. "It will save lives. It will save money. And it does not cost us a dime."

The Senate already has passed the measure and it now goes to Gov. Sonny Perdue, who has signaled he will sign the legislation.

A handful of legislators attempted to scuttle the legislation as it moved through the House, sensing it could be adopted this year.

Republican state Rep. Tim Bearden asked party leaders to schedule a debate on the 41st day of the 40-day session. A handful of lawmakers backed changes to the proposal that would have made it more difficult to enforce. Other frustrated opponents warned their colleagues that the state was overreaching.

"I don't understand why we're being a nanny state," said state Rep. Tom McCall, an Elberton Republican.

Georgia lawmakers have been considering changes to the seat belt law since the late 1980s with nothing to show for it. No lobbyists are actively working against the effort, and insurance companies and auto associations have long supported the changes. But the changes were blocked for years by powerful House leaders from both parties.

That changed when House Speaker David Ralston rose to power late last year after his predecessor stepped down in disgrace. Ralston took a hands-off approach as the proposal moved forward, allowing it to come to a vote in the House.

There's little doubt that requiring adults to wear seat belts can help save lives. The National Highway Safety Administration and the Georgia Department of Transportation have estimated changing the law would save 21 lives and prevent 300 injuries each year. And supporters estimate it could save $30 million in hospital costs each year.

Georgia already requires minors to wear seat belts and adults to wear them in all vehicles except pickups. Indiana once took a similar position as Georgia, but the state in 2007 passed the adult seat belt law for pickups. New Hampshire has no seat belt requirement for all adults.

The measure was a victory for Sen. Don Thomas, a Republican physician who has long championed the change.

"This legislation is a long overdue, lifesaving step for all Georgians," said Thomas, who is retiring this year. "I am thankful we could all work together to ensure the passage of legislation that will prevent unnecessary deaths and injuries while saving money."

The tense vote came with a moment of levity from an unlikely source. State Rep. Chuck Sims, a funeral home director from Ambrose, rose to ask a rhetorical question minutes before the vote was tallied.

"Do I have a conflict of interest in this?"