A proposal toughening enforcement of seat belt laws squeaked past a Utah Senate vote Tuesday, but its prospects for final approval look dicey.

Lawmakers are again considering making the failure to wear a seat belt while driving a "primary" offense, meaning a driver could be stopped by police. Currently, drivers older than 19 years old can only be cited on a seat belt violation if they're stopped for another reason.

Senators approved the bill's first vote 16-10, but it achieved that only after two senators switched their votes when the measure was about to fail. Fifteen affirmative votes are required to pass a bill in the Senate.

The legislation, by Sen. Karen Hale, D-Salt Lake City, must pass another Senate vote before it can proceed to the House of Representatives. This is the fourth time Hale has sponsored a primary offense seat belt bill.

Senate President John Valentine said senators sometimes will vote for a bill the first time around to continue debate.

"It looked really shaky," he said.

Hale noted that state officials have set a goal of reducing the number of fatalities on Utah roads to zero.

"Safety belt usage is indeed important if we are trying to get to that number," she said.

She pointed out that California, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington have all moved to primary seat belt law enforcement, and seat belt use in those states is higher than in Utah.

Sen. Scott McCoy, D-Salt Lake City, compared the bill to the ban on indoor smoking -- both are restrictions on personal choices that are important to public health.

"It is absolutely undisputed that buckling up saves lives," he said. "This is a clear public health policy issue that this body can take to help save people's lives."

Many senators felt the legislation goes too far, however.

"It's the law that you have to wear your seat belt. That is very clear," said Sen. Thomas Hatch, R-Panguitch, who voted against the bill. "What we're talking about here is just how punitive we are to people who violate the law."

Sen. Allen Christensen, R-North Ogden, agreed.

"This is a case of taking away a personal choice or freedom without sufficient cause," Christensen said.

No one disputed that seat belts increase driver safety. Christensen even included a reference to "unbelted human missiles" who pay the price for being unbelted in a wreck.

"We could also assume," he added, "that all those who are not wearing seat belts will soon be killed anyway -- and then we'll have 100 percent compliance."

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A4.