A Utah House panel voted down a bill that would permit police to pull over drivers who are not buckled up.

The House Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Committee voted 10-3 not to pass SB71, effectively killing the measure.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Karen Hale, D-Midvale, would have created a primary law for seat-belt enforcement. Currently, police can ticket drivers and passengers older than age 19 for seat-belt violations only after stopping a vehicle for another traffic violation.

However, such violations are a primary offense for anyone 19 and younger who is not belted.

If signed into law, the regulation would put the state in line for additional funding from the federal government.

An incentive program recently introduced in Congress encourages states to increase seat-belt enforcement. The program would give states three years to enact a primary seat-belt law or reach a rate of usage of at least 90 percent.

Failure to do one or the other would result in a loss of up to 4 percent of federal highway funds to the state. In Utah, that would mean $6.4 million, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.