Buckle up -- everyone

Iowa's state lawmakers are tinkering again with the state's seat belt law.

The Senate Transportation Committee voted unanimously this week for legislation that would require kids under 18 to wear seat belts in the back seat. Current law requires back-seat belting only for kids 10 and under. All front-seat passengers must wear restraints under Iowa law.

Committee approval sends the bill to the full Senate, where passage is expected.

We think this is a good idea. But we also think lawmakers should stop tinkering around with the law and simply vote to require that all passengers must use seat belts, regardless of their age or what seat they occupy.

“I don't think this bill goes far enough,” said Sen. Bill Heckroth, D-Waverly. We agree.

The evidence is clear that seat belts save lives. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that the use of restraints saved more than 15,000 lives nationally in 2007. And 100 percent usage would have saved more than 5,000 additional lives. Seat belt use reduces the risk of serious injury in a crash by 50 percent, according to the safety administration.

If that kind of data makes it smart state policy to require seat belt use for front-seat occupants and young children, it also underlines the benefits for back-seat adults and older kids who are, for now, not required to buckle up.

Certainly, children need special attention. Lawmakers argue that requiring all children to buckle up also would have educational value. But requiring everyone to wear seat belts makes the lesson even clearer for everyone.

According to the latest federal figures available, 18 states and the District of Columbia require seat belt use by all vehicle occupants. Iowa should join those ranks.

We understand the reluctance on the part of some lawmakers to expand the reach of government regulation any further. But Iowa's seat belt law has been around for many years. We've invested untold dollars to enforce it with hopes of cutting injuries and fatalities. Completing and simplifying the law now would not mean a significant expansion of governmental authority.

Traffic safety measures are not only to guard individual safety. Roadway injuries

and deaths have larger ramifications for society.

That's why the current law is on the books. And that's why it should be expanded once and for all.