Since the beginning of the 2006 General Assembly session, Gov. Ernie Fletcher has been pushing for a statewide mandatory seat belt law that could be enforced by police.

Fletcher said it's an idea that's time has come but the bill was not without opponents.

The bill failed its first vote on the House floor but was later added to an ATV helmet bill in the Senate. The amended bill passed the Senate and was narrowly approved in the House on a 48-45 vote.

According to Fletcher, about 60 lives could be saved in one year if all drivers were wearing seat belts.

“We know that a primary seat belt law will save at least 62 lives a year,” Fletcher said in a statement. “Adopting a primary seat belt law is the single most important thing we can do in this state to reduce fatalities and serious injuries caused by vehicle crashes.”

Under the provisions of the bill, police can stop drivers for not wearing seat belts. Under the current law, a driver can only be charged with not wearing a seat belt only if they have been stopped for another reason.

An amendment by State Rep. Jim Stewart, R-Stinking Creek, that would lower the fine to $5 failed on the House floor, The fine stands at $25.

If the bill is signed, drivers will be given an adjustment period and police will only be giving warning until Jan. 1, 2007.

An amendment offered by Stewart that exempts some farm trucks and vehicles built before 1981 was accepted and is now part of the bill.

The bill forbids roadblocks to be set up by police to check for seat-belt usage.

According to a November 2005 study conducted by the University of Kentucky, the commonwealth ranks 47th in seat belt usage with only 67 percent of Kentucky drivers buckling up.

The study found the one of the best and most cost effective plans to slow the number of fatal accidents in Kentucky would be to enact a primary seat belt law.

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration predicts that passage of the bill could raise seat-belt usage by 11 percent in Kentucky and save nearly $150 million annually in costs related to automobile accidents.

According to the UK study, Tennessee passed a primary seat belt law in July 2004 and experienced an increase in its seat belt usage from 68.5 percent in 2003 to 72 percent in 2004.

If the bill is, as expected, signed into law by Fletcher, it could pave the way for over $11 million to be added to the state's transportation coffers through a federal program that help fund safety improvements on state roads.