ST. PAUL -- Tom Kummrow told a Senate panel on Tuesday that his family was lucky.
Kummrow's son, Darin, was seriously injured in a car crash last October, but the 27-year-old escaped death.
Other families aren't so fortunate, the former Fergus Falls police captain said.
"My story is not unique. They are out there all the time," Kummrow said of crash victims who didn't wear a seat belt.
Kummrow was testifying in support of a bill in the Minnesota Legislature that would make seat belt use a primary law. The proposal, which would allow authorities to stop a vehicle just because an occupant is not buckled in, is sponsored by Sen. Steve Murphy, DFL-Red Wing, chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee.
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The proposal has the backing of law enforcement groups. Currently, it's a secondary offense to not wear a seat belt, meaning authorities can't pull over motorists just for that reason.
"There's not a decision to be made here. It's yes," an animated Murphy told committee members prior to the vote. "You vote yes."
The committee passed the bill and sent it to the full Senate. The vote followed emotional testimony from Kummrow and others. Loni Kjos of Alexandria told senators about her daughter Kelsey, who wasn't wearing a seat belt when she was killed in a crash in 2004.
"Every community has their Kelsey," Kjos said.
A companion bill has not been heard yet in the House. Both the Senate and House approved a package of transportation bills last year that included the primary seat belt proposal. Gov. Tim Pawlenty vetoed the bill because of differences over road and transit funding plans that also were included.
