The South Carolina Legislature has OK’d a bill to permit police to pull over drivers who are not wearing their seat belts.

A House and Senate conference committee worked out the final details on the bill June 1. The bill – S1 – now heads to Gov. Mark Sanford, who has said he would veto the legislation.

Currently, police can issue seat-belt citations to drivers older than age 17 only after stopping a vehicle for another traffic violation.

However, such violations are a primary offense for anyone 17 and younger who is not belted.

The compromise sets a $25 fine for seat-belt offenses. No points would be assessed against a driver’s license.

Sanford is disappointed the offenses cannot be reported to insurance companies, The Orangeburg Times and Democrat reported. He also wanted a bill that allowed a conviction for failing to buckle up to be factor in injury lawsuits as well as causing repeat offenders to pay more for auto insurance.

The bill would forbid police from searching a vehicle or its occupants if a vehicle is pulled over solely for a seat-belt violation. Police also would be prohibited from issuing seat belt tickets at traffic checkpoints.

If Sanford follows through with his veto threat, House and Senate lawmakers could seek an override when they return in a special session for two days beginning June 14. Supporters would have to get a two-thirds vote of both chambers to overrule the governor.

If it ultimately becomes law, the effort could mean more money for roads and bridges. A proposal before Congress would give any state that adopts tougher seat-belt rules one-time grant money equal to 500 percent of the highway funding they received in 2003, The Associated Press reported.

South Carolina is one of 28 states without a primary seat-belt law. Twenty-one states allow police to pull over drivers solely for not wearing their seat belts. New Hampshire is the only state without a mandatory seat-belt law.