Primary seat belt law goes into effect today

Act 308 of 2009, which changes the state's seat belt law from a secondary to a primary offense, goes into effect today. The change means that law enforcement officers can stop and ticket you specifically for not wearing a belt ($25 fine). The bill passed the Senate 29-6 and the House 60-31 after a debate on whether the change intrudes on personal liberties or otherwise invites racial profiling. The new law makes the state eligible to receive $9.5 million in federal funds. In order the remain eligible, the law has to go into effect by today.

Why it's not decidedly not smart to use a fake seat belt

After an Australian man was fined over 30 times for not wearing a seat belt, he rigged up his car to make it look like he was wearing a seat belt to passing police officers, instead of, you know, just actually wearing the thing. Pretty ingenious, I suppose, until he was involved in a head-on collision.

Arkansas becomes the 29th state to have a primary seat belt law. New Hampshire (live free or die) is the only state without a primary or secondary seat belt law, although it does have a primary seat belt law for minors. A few statistics:

• Of the 525 people who died on Arkansas roads in 2007, 65% were not buckled up.
• 61 people died in Ark in 2007 after being ejected during a rollover and weren't buckled up.
• According to studies, this new law will save $104 million in economic costs annually.