US President George W. Bush caught driving without a seatbelt

May 23, 2007

United States President, George W. Bush, was caught by members of the press this past weekend, not wearing his seat belt while "driving slowly" in a truck on his ranch in Crawford, Texas.

After the incident, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow answered questions based on Bush's not wearing one. One question asked was "does he [Bush] wear a seat belt in the limo?"

"I don't know. Let me just back up, I have seen him wear it in the limo. I'm not going to give you a report card because my ventures in the limo are relatively rare. Well, it's always important to wear seat belts, especially when driving slowly on the ranch," said Snow to reporters.

Bush was greeting the Secretary General of NATO Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and his wife on his ranch and giving them a tour. When he began to drive away, the press got a few pictures of Bush with no seatbelt on.

Snow was also asked if the Secret Service was required to make Bush wear a seatbelt, to which he replied "the Secret Service, I guarantee you, looks after the president and is absolutely determined to ensure his safety in every way possible."

Despite the pictures, in Texas, it is not a violation of any law, as seat belts are not required to be worn on private property.

"On private property, you're not required to wear your seat belt," said Texas Department of Public Safety spokeswoman, Tela Mange who also added that driving on private property with no seat belt is "fairly common."