North Dakota Measure 5, Seat Belt Requirement Referendum (December 1989)

North Dakota Measure 5
Election date December 5, 1989
Topic Vehicle and driver regulations
Status Defeated
Type Veto referendum	Origin Citizens

North Dakota Measure 5, the Seat Belt Requirement Referendum, was on the ballot as a veto referendum on December 5, 1989. The measure was defeated, thus repealing Senate Bill 2316.

A "yes" vote was to uphold Senate Bill 2316, which would have required drivers and front-seat passengers of cars to wear seatbelts.

A "no" vote was to repeal Senate Bill 2316, which would have required drivers and front-seat passengers of cars to wear seatbelts.

Election results

North Dakota Measure 5
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		102,992	40.71%
No		149,969	59.29%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Text of measure

Full text

The following was the full text of Senate Bill 2316:

SECTION 1. A new subsection to section 39-06.1-06 of the North Dakota Century Code is hereby created and enacted to read as follows: For a violation of section 2 of this Act, a fee not to exceed twenty dollars. SECTION 2. A new section to chapter 39-21 of the North Dakota Century Code is hereby created and enacted to read as follows: Use of safety belts required in certain motor vehicles - Enforcement. Except as otherwise provided in this Act, no driver may operate a motor vehicle designed for carrying fewer than eleven passengers, which was originally manufactured with safety belts, upon a highway, unless each front seat occupant is wearing a properly adjusted and fastened safety belt. This section does not apply to the driver of a vehicle in which all remaining front seat safety belts are in use by other front seat occupants of the vehicle, to a child in a child restraint or seatbelt in accordance with section 39-21-41.2, to drivers of implements of husbandry, or to rural mail carriers while on duty delivering mail. From the effective date of this Act until December 31, 1990, only warning tickets may be issued for a violation of this section.

Support for ‘Yes’ vote

Citizens for Safety Belts led the campaign in support of a ‘Yes’ vote on Measure 5.

Arguments

• Dr. Charles Hartz, orthopedic surgeon at St. Luke’s Hospital and Fargo Clinic: "Compliance with the safety belt law can substantially reduce the horrendous personal and family devastation that results from motor vehicle accidents. Education alone will not work; we have tried education for 25 years with minimal results. States that have passed safety belt usage laws are now experiencing lower injury rates and fewer fatalities."

Support for ‘No’ vote

A Citizens Coalition of Responsible Drivers led the campaign in support of a ‘No’ vote on Measure 5.

Arguments

• John Gosbee, co-chairman of A Citizens Coalition of Responsible Drivers: "We believe the arguments against the law are basically the importance of acceptance of responsibility for critical life choices."

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing the initiative process in North Dakota

The Citizens Coalition of Responsible Drivers needed to collect 13,055 signatures in order for the referendum to qualify for the ballot. The organization collected enough signatures to place the referendum on the ballot.

See also

1989 Measures

• 1989 Measures
• Vehicle and driver regulations on the ballot
• 1989 legislative sessions

North Dakota

• North Dakota ballot measures
• North Dakota ballot measure laws

News and analysis

• Ballot measure lawsuits
• Ballot measure readability
• Ballot measure polls

External links

• North Dakota Historic Election Results
• North Dakota 1989 Session Laws