CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – Wisconsin’s seatbelt law was unpopular when it was approved by the legislature in 1987. Back then most people thought that whether adults used their seatbelts was none of anyone else’s business.
To get the votes needed to push the bill through the legislature, three promises were made. First, the fine would be low: $10. Second, it would not be a primary enforcement law; police could not pull you over just for not wearing a seatbelt. The traffic stop had to be initiated for another reason first. And lastly there would be no points assessed against your drivers license for a seatbelt violation, so your insurance rates wouldn’t go up.
Two of those three promises have been broken. And now Governor Tony Evers proposes to break the third.
Just three years after the seatbelt law was passed, Wisconsin switched to primary enforcement. Now a seatbelt violation can be the only reason for a traffic stop. And today it is the most common traffic citation in the state. Police and the State Patrol accept federal grants to cover their overtime to harass non-seatbelt wearing drivers during Click-It-Or-Ticket enforcement. The lawmakers who were badgered into voting for the law never dreamed of that type of enforcement.
The promise that a seatbelt violation wouldn’t impact your auto insurance has also turned out to be a lie. While not wearing a seatbelt doesn’t add points to your license, the state now shares all individual drivers’ traffic infractions electronically. The moment you pay your fine or plead guilty, your insurance company knows about it. The average seatbelt offender sees their auto premiums go up $60 in Wisconsin.
Now Governor Tony Evers proposes breaking the final promise by raising the fine from $10 to $25.
His rational is flawed. Instead of state government keeping faith with its constituents, the governor says the higher fines will bring us in line with neighboring states like Illinois and Michigan. To point out the obvious, I’m thankful I don’t live in either of those states. Big Gretch’s Michigan is an uber-liberal nanny state. Illinois is a crime-ridden, high tax, corruptocracy. Why would we ever want to be more like them? They should want to be more like us.
Chris Conley
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