Buckle Up Or Go To Jail

Got a seatbelt ticket lately? You think that it’s unfair? You could email your Congress member(s) and have your say. Your fourth amendment rights  could have been violated, and this is supposedly illegal search and seizure.

But, don’t expect to get any real justice. This story of a soccer Mom from Texas is extremely troubling, to say the least.

Gail Atwater Case
By DAVID G. SAVAGE, JOSH MEYER,
Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
April 25, 2001 WASHINGTON — Police may arrest and handcuff motorists for even minor offenses and take them to jail, the Supreme Court said Tuesday, without violating the Constitution’s ban on “unreasonable searches and seizures.”

Twenty-seven states, plus the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands have primary seat belt laws. Twenty-two have secondary laws.

Primary laws give the state the right to pull you over exclusively for no other reason than not having a seatbelt on.

Source: State Highway Safety Offices

Primary States – Your Generous Donation
1. Alabama – $25
2. Alaska – $15
3. American Samoa – No Data
4. Arkansas – $25
5. California – $20
6. Connecticut – $15
7. Delaware – $25
8. D.C. – $50
9. Georgia – $15
10. Guam – No Data
11. Hawaii – $92
12. Illinois – $25
13. Indiana – $25
14. Iowa – $25
15. Kentucky – $25
16. Louisiana – $25
17. Maine – $50
18. Maryland – $25
19. Michigan – $25
20. Mississippi – $25
21. New Jersey – $20
22. New Mexico – $25
23. New York – $50
24. North Carolina – $100
25. Northern Mariana Islands – $25
26. Oklahoma – $20
27. Oregon – $97
28. Puerto Rico – No Data
29. South Carolina – $25
30. Tennessee – $50
31. Texas – $200
32. Virgin Islands – $25 to $250
33. Washington – $124

Secondary states can give you a seatbelt love note only if there is another offense initiated first. Expect this list to shrink, as more states jump on the bandwagon to gain federal incentives.

Secondary States – Your Generous Donation
1. Arizona – $10
2. Colorado – $72
3. Florida – $30
4. Idaho – $10 + court costs
5. Kansas – $60
6. Massachusetts – $25
7. Minnesota – $25 + fees
8. Missouri – $25
9. Montana – $20
10. Nebraska – $25
11. Nevada – $25
12. North Dakota – $20
13. Ohio – $30
14. Pennsyvania – $10
15. Rhode Island – $75
16. South Dakota – $20
17. Utah – $45
18. Vermont – $25
19. Virginia – $25
20. West Virginia – $25
21. Wisconsin – $10
22. Wyoming – $25