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Subcommittee reports bill to require seat belts for adults in rear seats, 4-1
Summary
House Bill 2475, which would require adults in rear vehicle seats to wear seat belts (a change from current law), was reported out of the subcommittee 4-1 after testimony from crash survivors, family members and safety groups. Supporters said the change would raise Virginia’s seatbelt use toward national averages and save lives.
Delegate Keyes Gamorrah introduced House Bill 2475 to extend Virginia’s seatbelt requirement to adults seated in the back of passenger vehicles. "Current law in Virginia is that people are to wear seatbelts if they are sitting in the front seat. It does not cover adults in the back seat," Delegate Keyes Gamorrah said.
The bill’s purpose, as supporters explained, is to raise seatbelt use and reduce fatalities and serious injuries. Christie King, executive director of the Christopher King Foundation and mother of Christopher King, told the committee her son was killed in a crash after he rode in the back of a convertible without a seat belt. She said Virginia’s rear-seat-belt use lags behind other states and that modest increases in compliance would save lives and reduce injuries.
Other witnesses included friends of the victim who testified about the avoidability of the crash, Kristen Pettway of DriveSmart Virginia, and Patrick Cushing on behalf of AAA. Pettway cited National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data and told the subcommittee that rear-seat belt use substantially reduces fatalities. Patrick Cushing said the bill’s clarity also creates a straightforward safety message: "Everybody in the car has to buckle up. It's the law."
Delegate Cohen moved to report the bill; the motion passed by a vote of 4 to 1. The clerk did not record individual member votes in the transcript for this roll call. Committee members thanked families and advocates for personal testimony. The bill will proceed to the next committee stop for full consideration.
