Although Ford says he wears his seat belt, he is not convinced that seat belts always save lives.

"Sometimes they save, sometimes they take lives, it all depends on the type of the accident," he says.

Ford notes that after a Massachusetts seat belt law was repealed in 1986, highway fatalities dropped in the state. And he adds that federal funding will not be lost, rather only transferred to the Governor's Highway Safety Bureau.

Referring to the 1986 Massachusetts vote repealing the seatbelt law by a 54 to 46 percent margin, Ford says: "People in Massachusetts really value their freedom."

BLUE LAWS

Supporters of Question 5 would like to see Massachusetts voters reform the state's so-called "blue laws" and allow retail stores to open at any hour on Sundays and to remain open on Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day.

Even if the question is approved, some "blue laws" would still remain intact, including those that prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages on Sunday mornings and the opening of stores on Christmas and Thanksgiving.

The proposed law would require stores that open on Sunday morings and holidays to make Sunday and holiday work voluntary and to pay most employees at least one and one-half times their regular rate.

Currently, any store or mall can stay open only if the local community police chief gives it a "local exemption" provision.

Supporters of Question 5 point say this exemption gives an unfair business advantage to certain stores over others that are denied permission to stay open.

Question 5 proponents also maintain that the state has no right getting involved with economic decisions of local producers and consumers.

"We think Question 5 is an issue of fairness and consistency," says Randee Sacks, spokesperson for the Committee to Reform the Blue Laws. "It is not the state's role to dictate when stores can and cannot open, when employees can and cannot work and when consumers can and cannot shop."

Sacks also says that Massachusetts businesses will financially gain if the current blue laws are reformed. She cites the fact that all of Massachusetts neighboring states do not have any blue laws.

"The Massachusetts Department of Revenue estimates that if stores were open [on Sunday mornings and holidays], it would generate over $100 million in retail sales and over $15 million in state revenues," Sacks says.

Weld supports Question 5, because he believes it will help the state's economy by encouraging businesses to locate in the Bay State.