Committee advances legislation allowing police to stop Wyoming drivers for failing to wear seat-belts

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – On Monday, the Joint Committee on Transportation, Highways and Military Affairs voted unanimously to advance legislation of two bills surrounding seat-belt use and car seats, designed to directly address Wyoming’s increasing number of highway fatalities.

The proposed bills would allow law enforcement to stop and ticket someone specifically for not wearing a seat-belt, and to require children under 2 years of age to be secured in rear-facing car seats.

Currently Wyoming state law only allows for a driver to be pulled over for another offense, making not wearing a seat-belt a secondary offense.

Wyoming Highway Patrol Director Kebin Haller, says that nearly two-thirds of the fatalities on Wyoming’s highways so far this year were people not wearing seat-belts.

The two bills will likely be voted on next Legislative session.

This is the first time that proposed legislation of this nature will be sponsored by a legislative committee, which should increase it’s likelihood of becoming law.