Assembly panel kills bill to make not using seat belt primary offense

      CARSON CITY -- Despite evidence that a 10 percent increase in seat belt use would prevent at least 18 deaths each year in Nevada, an Assembly panel voted 6-3 Thursday to kill a bill that would have let police stop people for not wearing seat belts.
      After brief debate, the Transportation Committee also held off a vote on a bill to mandate seat belts in the backs of pickups, and shot down a measure to require seat belts on school buses.
      Under current Nevada law, police can fine people up to $25 if they're not wearing a seat belt when stopped for another traffic violation. Assembly Bill 181 would have made the seat belt violation a primary offense, allowing police to stop people only for not wearing a seat belt.
      Using data from the Nevada Office of Traffic and Safety and the National Department of Transportation, Committee policy analyst Michael Stewart said 63 percent Nevada traffic fatalities in 1995 weren't wearing seat belts.
      In addition, states that have made seat belt laws a primary offense have a user rate of 78 percent, Stewart said. That compares to a 64.5 percent user rate in Nevada.
      But the numbers didn't convince a majority of committee members.
      Assemblyman Tom Collins, D-North Las Vegas, objected to the additional time and expense of stopping violators, while Assemblywoman Genie Ohrenschall, D-Las Vegas said safety belts aren't made for small children and can actually injure them in accidents.
      Assemblyman Mark Amodei, R-Carson City, said he didn't want to make a decision on the bill without hearing from insurance companies.
      "People ought to have their insurance rates go down if this is a primary offense," Amodei said.
      Transportation Chairwoman Vonne Chowning, D-North Las Vegas, was clearly in favor of the bill, saying her daughter and three grandchildren could have been killed in a car accident last year if they hadn't been wearing seat belts.
      Former paramedic and Assemblyman Dennis Nolan, R-Las Vegas, also supported the bill.
      "Our responsibility as legislators is to develop legislation that promotes the general welfare and safety of the citizens of the state," Nolan said. "As a paramedic, I have not spoken to one victim who said, `I wish I wouldn't have worn my seat belt.' "
      The committee held off a decision on AB323, which mandates seat belts in the backs of pickups. AB323 is headed for a subcommittee, where members will debate whether to require seat belts in pickup campers and whether to add specific speed limits to the bill.
      After a short discussion on AB205, which would have required seat belts on school buses, the committee amended the bill beyond recognition.
      At the request of at least 13 state school districts and the Nevada Classified School Employees Association, AB205 was amended so seat belts aren't required but children must have bus safety training sessions each year.
      AB205, which was originally sponsored by Assembly Speaker Joe Dini, D-Yerington, is now headed for the Assembly Education Committee to clarify the safety training standards.