OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Children under the age of 17 would be required to wear seat belts in vehicle back seats under a bill narrowly passed Monday by the Oklahoma Senate.
The bill, which passed on a 25–22 vote, changes current law that requires only children younger than age 8 to wear seat belts in the back seat.
“The bottom line is children are being hurt and dying simply because we don’t require them to wear a seat belt,” said Sen. Roland Pederson, a Burlington Republican.
Pederson said Oklahoma is the nation’s only state that does not require seat belts for children older than age 8.
The measure now heads to the House, where a similar bill stalled.