Lack of Seat Belt Now a Primary Offense; Buckle Up

Failure to wear a seat belt is now a primary traffic offense. This means a police officer can pull a vehicle over if the officer sees that the driver or a front-seat passenger is not wearing a seatbelt. Nationally, about 83 percent of drivers use seat belts, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The percentage of Arkansas drivers who use seat belts, however, is only 70 percent. If all drivers and front-seat passengers wore their seat belts, around 50 lives would be saved each year in automobile crashes. Arkansas is the 27th state to enact such legislation. The University of Arkansas Police Department encourages all drivers and passengers to buckle up to protect life, to prevent injuries and to avoid traffic tickets.