DeKrey expressed to fellow lawmakers his view that offering an incentive to motorists to use seat belts is better than infringing a law forcing people to wear them. DeKrey proposed to subtract one penalty point on any traffic offense if the offender was wearing their seat belt when stopped.
Driving violations in North Dakota are assessed a point value, in which 12 points results in a license suspension.
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According to an Associated Press article, DeKrey indicated in his proposal a driver who was going too fast, but was wearing a seat belt would be ticketed but would not have a penalty point added to his or her license.
"I think that people will look at that as kind of a really cheap insurance policy on losing points off their licenses," DeKrey said in the article.
Wahpeton Police Chief Scott Thorsteinson said, "Anything that's going to encourage people to wear their seat belt, I'm a proponent of."
Local North Dakota Highway Patrolman Keith Huwe shared Thorsteinson's sentiment. Huwe said he was in favor of a penalty as well, such as increasing a traffic point for someone not wearing their seat belt.
"That is very frustrating for law enforcement officers to watch someone drive around without their seatbelts on," Huwe said. "In an accident, injuries are far less severe then if their seat belt is on."
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