Senate Bill 102, a bill which would lower the fines, fees and costs potentially incurred for violating the mandatory seat belt law, is scheduled to go before the House Judiciary Committee Tuesday. It moved forward with a vote of 29 in favor and zero against it.
Baxter County Sheriff Montgomery is opposed to the bill for a couple of reasons. He thinks it may lead to people refusing to wear their seatbelt.
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The Sheriff says compared to other states in the nation Arkansas already rates low in regard to seatbelt usage.
Senator Scott Flippo says the fines associated with a seatbelt violation in Baxter County are around $80 to $100. He says the bill wasn’t supposed to be higher than $25 when it was created.
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Flippo says although he appreciates Sheriff Montgomery’s opinion, he believes most people will wear their seatbelts not because of a threat of a fine, but because it’s a good idea to do so.
Sheriff Montgomery says the second reason he opposes the bill is due to the loss of revenue.
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Senator Flippo questions if it is a good practice to issue tickets to individuals based upon the precept of gaining revenue, saying it blurs the line between a public safety issue and revenues for a municipality or a county.
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The House Committee is scheduled to meet at 10 Tuesday morning.
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