There will be another effort in the Legislature to make North Dakota’s seat belt law a primary offense.
Right now, it’s a secondary offense – meaning you have to be pulled over for something else before you can be ticketed for not buckling up.
Sen. Curt Kreun is the primary sponsor of a bill to make it a primary offense.
"Some people who are injured run out of their insurance funds," Kreun said. "With rehab and disability, we're using up our Medicare and other government funds to rehabilitate those who were injured."
Kreun said what the sponsors are trying to do is slow that down.
"We want to save some lives, and keep people from having to go through these dramatic injuries and rehab processes," Kreun said.
The bill would also require back seat passengers to wear their seat belts. That isn't required now.
Kreun said he knows it is an uphill battle. But he said he thinks it’s time.
"My dad was a Minnesota state trooper," Kreun said. "He said during his 23-year career, he never unbuckled a dead person."
A hearing on the bill will be held Friday morning in the Senate Transportation Committee.
