The Senate approved Senate Bill 681 earlier this week which requires any backseat passenger 16 years old and younger to wear a properly fastened seatbelt. Sen. Roland Pederson, R-Burlington, wrote the measure to try to reduce the number of injuries and deaths of youth involved in car accidents.

Pederson says Oklahoma is the only state that does not have this law in place

Car accidents are the leading cause of death for children. The National Highway Safety Office reported that in 2020, 38 percent of children younger than 12 years old who were killed in an accident were not buckled.

SB 681 moves to the House of Representatives where Rep. Ross Ford, R-Broken Arrow, is the principal author.