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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Advocates gathered at the Utah State Capitol to bring attention to a new law that strengthens the state's seat belt requirements.
The Utah Department of Transportation hosted an event in favor of the law Thursday. Many attendees, like Michael Barney, say seat belts save their lives.
Barney says the car carrying his family was mangled in December 2012 rollover, but he, his wife and their three daughters survived.
The law takes effect next week and will make not wearing a seat belt a primary offense, allowing police officers to pull over and ticket people for not wearing one.
Previously, officers could only issue the $45 ticket to those 18 and older if a vehicle had been stopped for another reason.
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