Starting July 1, all vehicle passengers in Mississippi will be required by law to wear seat belts.
For some citizens, it will mean no more riding in the beds of trucks.
The new rule passed during this year’s legislative session as part of Senate Bill 2724.
“I think it’s a good bill,” said District 41 Rep. Kabir Karriem (D-Columbus). “It’s a proactive approach to making sure that everybody is safe in the vehicle.”
The bill is an amendment to a section of the Mississippi Code of 1972, which only required vehicle operators and front-seat passengers to fasten their seat belts.
“If the front passenger needs to buckle up, the back passenger does, too,” said District 37 Rep. Gary Chism (R-Columbus). “I know it’s easy not to (buckle up), especially when there are minors in the back seat, but it’s for their own safety. I really think that law is needed.”
Senator Chuck Younger (R-Columbus) said he originally doubted whether the law was necessary.
“At first I wasn’t really for it, but I got to talking to a friend of mine who’s a highway patrolman,” Younger said. “He was telling me about an accident he was working one day. There was a person in the back seat who wasn’t in a seat belt, and he killed the person in the front seat with his teeth. It’s a good law.”
According to Mississippi Highway Patrol Master Sgt. Criss Turnipseed, all passengers are affected when serious crashes occur. He said an unbuckled passenger flying across the car during a wreck is a safety hazard, and according to him, ensuring passenger safety is the main reason behind seat belt campaigns sponsored by the state’s highway patrol.
While no state legislation specifically bans Mississippians from riding in truck beds, under SB 2724 all passengers, regardless of age, must be restrained.
Chism said the law consequently outlaws riding in the back of pickups.
“Certainly, in the cargo area of the pickup truck, there is no seat belt,” Chism said.
Drivers found guilty of allowing passengers to ride without seat belts could be subject to a $25 fine per person.
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