House blocks measure for seat belt crackdown
by The Associated Press
 
ST. PAUL -- For the second time in a week, a plan giving police power to stop motorists simply for failing to buckle up has been turned back in the Minnesota House.

An attempt to toughen the state seat belt law was defeated on a procedural vote. But it reflected the high hurdle facing the proposal in the session's final days.

The effort to attach the primary seat belt measure to another transportation bill was deemed out of order on a 78-55 vote.

Under current law, unbuckled drivers and passengers can be ticketed for not wearing a belt. But police need to have a different reason for making the traffic stop.

The Senate has repeatedly passed the seat belt crackdown, but it has always gotten hung up in the House.

Opponents say seat belt use should remain a personal choice and others argue police could use it as a basis for racial profiling.