Panel blocks seat belt law for pickups

ATLANTA --- A bid to require adults in pickups to buckle their seat belts was narrowly defeated by a House panel Tuesday, defying supporters of stronger safety standards that have been adopted by much of the nation.

The House Consumer Affairs Subcommittee swiftly voted 4-3 to reject the measure after more than an hour of testimony from physician's groups, insurance executives and highway safety officials backing the change.

The vote was a stinging defeat for advocates pressing for the changes in Georgia, the last state in the nation to specifically exempt adults in pickups from buckling up. The Senate has already adopted the changes, but the effort has long been held up in the House.

Supporters say the change could prevent dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries annually while helping the state save an estimated $62 million each year in accident-related expenses. It also could help Georgia secure about $4 million in highway safety grants.

"It's better to prevent trauma than to treat trauma," said Republican state Sen. Don Thomas, a Dalton physician who sponsored the measure. "It's better to prevent deaths than to plan funerals."

No lobbyists are actively working against the effort. But the attempts to pass a tougher seat belt law were blocked by rural lawmakers who see the rule as unnecessary regulation.

The proposal is not dead yet, as the subcommittee could reconsider its vote before the legislative session is set to end next week. And the change could be slipped into other proposals moving through the Legislature, although supporters concede that is unlikely.

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.