Gov. Bill Haslam’s administration is pushing the passage of a bill to increase the fines for not wearing a seat belt. The legislation, which cleared a state House Transportation subcommittee last week, would more than double the current fine for a violation of the state’s mandatory seat belt law.Even with the proposed hikes, Tennessee’s fine for a seat belt violation will still be far less than the average ($59.60) for a first offense in Southeastern states.The governor’s bill calls for the fine for a first offense to increase from $10 to $25 and from $20 to $50 for second or subsequent offense.There will undoubtedly be wails of protest from Tennesseans who routinely violate the seat belt law, but we hope the increased fines will prod them into buckling up in spite of their reckless selves. Officials with the Tennessee Highway Patrol say states that have increased their fines for seat belts have seen fatal accidents drop by as much as 11 percent.Yes, the fee hikes will raise additional revenue for the state, but that money will be put to good use. The bill calls for a portion of the estimated $1.3 million to be collected from the new fines to go to “assist people severely injured in car accidents.”On average, there are more than 1,000 traffic deaths recorded annually in Tennessee. If the experience of other states repeats itself here, the increased fines could help save as many as 110 lives.
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