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Beginning at midnight tonight police officers in Florida can pull drivers over if they’re not buckled up. Right now officers have to have another reason to pull over a driver in order to ticket them for not wearing a seatbelt. As Whitney Ray tells us, the new law is expected to save the lives of 124 Floridians every year.

By implementing the new seatbelt law before July 1st the state will receive 35 million federal dollars. The money will be used to make Florida’s roads safer and to spread the word about buckling up.

If you want to take a ride with Tracy Franklin you better buckle up.

“Before I start my car up I make sure everybody has their seatbelts on,” said Tracy.

The move may save a life one day but it could also save Tracy hundreds of dollar. Starting Tuesday police officers in Florida can begin pulling over drivers who aren’t buckled up.

“We just have to see you’re not wearing that seatbelt and we’ll pull you over and issue a citation,” said Lt. Tim Frith, a spokesman with FHP.

The fine for not wearing a seatbelt is 30 bucks but after fees and court cost you could be paying as much as a 120 dollars. Many people will learn the hard way.

Three out of every 10 drivers at this busy intersection weren’t buckled up. Nationally about 20 percent of drivers don’t wear their seatbelts. Tamara Locker isn’t one of them. She hopes her son learns from her example.

“I have a child who really can’t comprehend how dangerous it is in a car and I as an adult need to set a good example for him,” said Tamara.

The new law is expected to save 124 lives and keep 1,700 people from serious injury. It will also save the state an estimated 400 million dollars in emergency response and medical costs.