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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Children under the age of 17 would be required to wear seat belts in vehicle back seats under a bill narrowly passed Monday by the Oklahoma Senate.
The bill, which passed on a 25-22 vote, changes current law that requires only children younger than age 8 to wear seat belts in the back seat. “The bottom line is children are being hurt and dying simply because we don’t require them to wear a seat belt,” said Sen. Roland Pederson, a Burlington Republican. Pederson said Oklahoma is the nation’s only state that does not require seat belts for children older than age 8. The measure now heads to the House, where a similar bill is pending.