Five students testified at a Senate Transportation Subcommittee meeting last Thursday, January 29, in support of Sen. Barker’s proposed legislation, S.B. 1502. The bill, developed by students, Bree Dumas and Michael Hyon, calls for a change to the existing secondary seat belt law. The proposed legislation will require passengers to wear seat belts regardless of age and seat position in a motor vehicle.

The students from Centreville High School in Clifton, Va. support strengthening the existing law that requires only passengers in the front seat to wear a seatbelt. The student’s articulate and well thought out testimony was instrumental in the success of this bill.

The students informed committee members that other states have updated their laws to require seat belt use of all passengers in vehicles. Utah and Rhode Island, for example, which have recently implemented more stringent seatbelt laws, have seen a noticeable decline in their vehicle fatalities since these laws passed.

S.B. 1502 passed the Transportation Subcommittee with a vote of 8-Y, 4-N, and 2-A. It went on to pass the first reading of the Senate with a unanimous vote of 39-Y.