Good.

Every session, somebody drops in a bill that makes suspicion of not wearing a seat belt a primary offense for cops to pull you over. Of course everyone should be wearing their seat belt. And in a perfect world, this might not be a bad idea for a law. But it's been shown time and time again around the country that blacks and latinos get stopped by police disproportionately, and this traffic law would only provide another excuse for law enforcement to pull someone over for the crime of DWB.

Even ignoring all the studies about racial bias in police stops, I don't want to be subject to this law. My car has an adjustable-height shoulder belt. You can not tell I am wearing my seat belt unless you're looking right in the driver's side window or through the front windshield. I could get pulled over every day for that reason.

So kudos to the legislature for once again killing this very stupid bill. Along with the dumb RIAA bill that comes up every year to forbid me from selling CDs of music that I myself composed, arranged, and performed, hopefully the DWB bill will continue to die annually like the weeds in my yard.

Update:

The Denver Post agrees.

In Colorado, the law already requires drivers and passengers to wear safety belts, but police can ticket offenders only if they are stopped for other reasons, such as speeding or reckless driving. Making seat-belt use a primary offense -- meaning you can get pulled over if police suspect you're not wearing your belt -- is particularly dangerous because of those few bad apples among police who see minor infractions as opportunities to pull over and intimidate certain drivers, including minorities and others.

Wearing a seat belt is a safety issue, but making it a primary offense quickly becomes a civil liberties issue.