Transportation Bills Advanced Today
At today’s Transportation Committee meeting, the bulk of the discussion time focused on SB 127, which will allow direct sales of electric vehicles, one which I have been happy to support for many years and did again today. There was another bill on the agenda, HB 6484 An Act Concerning Recommendations By The Department Of Transportation.
Within that lengthy bill, Sections 17 and 18 would require, for the first time, the use of backseat seat-belts for drivers of all ages. This is an issue I have worked on and have advocated for over a number of years as a transportation committee member. I am so grateful for the support from the chairs and the state Department of Transportation to advance the bill through the committee process. Seat-belts save lives. Specifically, rear seat-belts save not only the lives of those who are belted, but also the lives of those who are in the front seat, who may be belted themselves, but remain at risk if those behind them are not.
Testimony from the National Transportation Safety Board indicated that rear seat belt use is higher in states that require them. Perhaps most striking was the online testimony, made possible due to the zoom format for this session’s hearings, by Alec Slatky, Director of Public and Government Affairs for AAA Northeast. The crash simulation video is motivation enough to not only pass the bill, but also to be sure that all of us and our passengers wear a seat belt when riding in the rear of a vehicle. You can watch Alec testify here. |
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