Mandatory Seat Belt Use in Pickup Trucks Becomes Law in Georgia

Georgia governor Sonny Perdue has a bill that will require drivers and front passengers in pickup trucks to buckle up as of July 1.

Until now, Georgia only required people in the front seats of cars, vans and SUVs to buckle up. A hold-up applying the same law in pickups came from Georgia's rural legislators, who argued that wearing a seat belt was an inconvenience for farmers and farm workers who frequently hop in and out of their pickups as they tend the fields. They also said there was too little traffic on Georgia's backcountry farm roads to worry about the risk of colliding with another vehicle.

The new law redefines “passenger vehicle” to include pickup trucks.

Perdue said the new law will save about 21 lives, 300 injuries and some 30-million dollars in hospital costs a year.

New Hampshire remains the last state in the U.S. without any seat belt requirement for adults in any vehicle.

[Source: SavannahNow]