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Article: Enforcing Seat Belt Use Comes With Kinks; Va. Law Does Not Allow for Drivers to Be Pulled Over for Not Buckling Up
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- May 29, 2003
- Author:
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It sounded simple enough.
Fairfax County and Fairfax City police were conducting what they
called a "seat belt crackdown" last week, taking part in a national
safety campaign to enforce laws requiring drivers to be strapped in.
"We hope this campaign will raise public awareness of the very
real dangers of driving unbelted," said Fairfax City Police Chief
Richard Rappoport.
But as the last session of the Virginia General Assembly showed,
seat belt enforcement in the commonwealth is a matter fraught with
practical complications and political controversy.
For although Virginia law allows police to write tickets for
driving without a seat belt, it does not allow police to stop cars
based on that ...