BISMARCK — The North Dakota House of Representatives has defeated a bill brought by ultra-conservative Republicans that would have done away with the state's seat belt requirement for most residents.
The lower chamber blocked House Bill 1257 by a 66-28 margin on Tuesday, Feb. 2 — less than a week after the House Transportation Committee gave the proposal a narrow "do-pass" recommendation.
Hazelton Republican Rep. Jeff Magrum said his bill aimed to reflect the idea that the government shouldn't be tasked with protecting residents from themselves. Magrum said during a committee hearing on the bill that he rarely wears a seat belt in his own vehicle.
Under the bill, adult drivers and occupants would no longer have been required to buckle up in the car, though the safety measure would have still been mandatory for those under 18.
Meanwhile, the Senate narrowly passed legislation last month that would take seat belt enforcement in the opposite direction by making failure to wear one a primary reason for police officers to pull over vehicles.
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Rep. Dan Ruby, R-Minot, supported Magrum's bill, but admitted it had no chance of passing the Senate. Ruby urged his colleagues to vote for the bill and "send a message" to lawmakers in the other chamber that the House doesn't have the appetite for more stringent seat belt regulations.
Several Republican legislators spoke against the bill, saying it undermines recent efforts by the state to encourage buckling up and would result in more fatal traffic accidents. Opponents of the bill cited overwhelming evidence that seat belt laws prevent deaths.
"Let's not allow politics to play with the lives of our North Dakota citizens," said Rep. Emily O'Brien, R-Grand Forks.
A survey taken last year by the state Department of Transportation found that only about 84% of North Dakota drivers and passengers wear seat belts — well below the national rate of 91%.
The House will consider the Senate bill that would tighten the seat belt law after the chambers exchange legislation later this month.
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