Transportation safety; occupants of motor vehicles not equipped with seat belts.

Transportation safety. Adopts several initiatives related to transportation and safety, including: (i) making it illegalto possess an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle, (ii)requiring all passengers in a vehicle to wear safety belts and makingfailure to wear a safety belt a primary offense, (iii) prohibitingthe use of handheld personal communication devices, (iv) establishinga speed monitoring program in highway safety corridors that usesa vehicle sensor to take a picture of a vehicle traveling more than10 miles over the speed limit, subjecting the driver to a monetary fine, and (v) allowing localities to lower the speed limit below25 miles per hour in business and residential districts. The Commissionerof the Department of Motor Vehicles will establish an advisory committeeto oversee education and enforcement of policies such as the seatbeltand hands-free provisions. The bill also changes the vehicle inspectionsafety program to only require inspections of salvage vehicles thathave been rebuilt for highway use, converted electric vehicles, andoff-road motorcycles that have been converted to on-road use. Thebill contains numerous technical amendments.