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Lawmakers To Focus On Teen Drivers, Seat Belts

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By CATHERINE DOLINSKI

cdolinski@tampatrib.com

Published: December 3, 2008

TALLAHASSEE - Florida lawmakers soon will consider bills that would allow law enforcement officers to pull over drivers for not wearing seat belts and to stop new teenage drivers from carting their young pals around.

Republican Rep. Rich Glorioso of Plant City has named House Bill 1 the Dori Slosberg and Katie Marchetti Safety Belt Act for the daughter of former state Rep. Irv Slosberg and a Hillsborough County high school student, both of whom died in car crashes while not wearing seat belts.

Florida law requires drivers to wear safety belts, but not wearing one is a secondary offense. That means law enforcement officers can enforce the rule and issue citations only if they stop the driver for a primary offense, such as speeding.

Democratic Rep. Kelly Skidmore, who holds Slosberg's old House seat, is proposing House Bill 7. Under the measure, drivers younger than 18 who have had their license for six months or less would be prohibited from carrying passengers younger than 18 unless the passenger is a sibling or child of the driver.

The bill's opponents say such government intrusion into family decisions is excessive; setting rules for teenage drivers, they say, is the prerogative of parents. Skidmore compared the issue to underage smoking and drinking, which many parents forbid.

"There are also laws that make it illegal and back up those tenets," she said.

The proposal came from parents who voiced concerns about teenage driving.

"We have to take our cues from parents who are asking for our help," Skidmore said.

She proposes making violations of the rule a secondary offense, enforceable only when a driver is stopped for a primary offense.

Both bills, which have been filed for the third straight year, could be heard in committee as early as Dec. 15, when the House begins holding committee meetings preparing for the spring 2009 session.

Reporter Catherine Dolinski can be reached at (850) 222-8382.

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