Alabama lawmakers have given final approval to a bill requiring back seat passengers in vehicles to wear seat belts.

Alabama’s seat belt law currently applies only to front seat passengers.

The House of Representatives this morning approved the bill by Sen. David Burkette, D-Montgomery, requiring all passengers to wear seat belts.

The bill says failure for a back seat passenger to wear a seat belt would be a secondary violation. That means a ticket could be written only if the vehicle is stopped for another reason.

The House passed the bill by a vote of 76-17. It had previously passed the Senate and goes to Gov. Kay Ivey, who could sign it into law.

The bill is named after Roderic Deshaun Scott, who died in an accident on Interstate 65 between Montgomery and Birmingham in 2016. Roderic was a student and standout basketball player at Robert E. Lee High School in Montgomery.

Rep. Kirk Hatcher, D-Montgomery, said Roderic and two other teens in the back of a vehicle traveling north on I-65 were not wearing seat belts and were ejected from the vehicle. Roderic died from his injuries. Hatcher said he didn’t know Roderic personally but knew of the family through others.

Hatcher said he thinks the bill will raise awareness and help save lives.

“I am told there is no pain like the pain of losing a child," Hatcher said. "It messes up the whole order of things because you never expect to have to bury your child."

Alabama and national politics.