Two bills aimed at improving motorist safety were run off the legislative road this week in a House of Delegates subcommittee, but two other measures seem on their way to eventual passage in the General Assembly.
The House subcommittee on Militia, Police and Public Safety tabled Senate Bill 9, which would have made the failure to wear a seat belt a primary ticketing offense.
The same subcommittee also disconnected Senate Bill 517, which would have prohibited drivers from using cell phones and wireless devices unless they were in "hands-free" mode. Both bills previously had cleared the full Senate.
The votes against the legislation effectively kill their chance of passage this year. But in a nod to law enforcement, the insurance industry and anti-drunken driving groups, the subcommittee backed Senate Bill 219, which would increase the age of mandatory seat-belt usage in the rear seats of a vehicle from 16 to 18.
Sen. Harry B. Blevins, R-Chesapeake, a former high school principal and the sponsor of Senate Bill 219, said making rear seat-belt usage among juveniles mandatory effectively would eliminate peer pressure on kids not to buckle up.
Meanwhile, a House bill that instructs police to gather and report the location of where drunken drivers took their last drink easily cleared the Senate Courts of Justice Committee and is likely to pass the full Senate early next week.
House Bill 144, sponsored by Del. John M. O'Bannon III, R-Henrico, would send the information gathered to the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission, which potentially could use the data to identify violators of state ABC laws.
Contact Jim Nolan at (804) 649-6061 or jnolan@timesdispatch.com.
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