Republican Senator Says He Doesn’t Wear Seatbelt in D.C. Because He Fears Being Carjacked: ‘I Don’t Buckle Up’

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) said he does not wear a seatbelt while driving in Washington, D.C., lest doing so prevent him from acting quickly in case he’s carjacked.

The senator appeared on Fox News on Wednesday night, where he praised President Donald Trump for deploying 800 National Guard members to the nation’s capital and seizing control of the Metropolitan Police Department. Trump claims the measures are necessary to combat crime in D.C. and has suggested he will take similarly aggressive measures in other cities run by Democrats.

“If you look at car theft only, if Washington, D.C. was a state, Washington, D.C. would be three times higher than any other state,” Mullin said. “And we’re talking about a city. And we’re comparing it to full states.”

The senator then explained that while driving in the nation’s capital, he violates its seatbelt ordinance because he wants to be able to “exit in a hurry” if he is carjacked:

And by the way, I’m not joking when I say this. I drive around in Washington, D.C. in my jeep and, yes, I do drive myself. And I don’t buckle up. And the reason why I don’t buckle up, and people can say whatever they want to, they can raise their eyebrows at me, again, is because of carjacking.

I don’t wanna be stuck in my vehicle when I need to exit in a hurry because I got a seat belt around me. And I wear my seat belt all the time, but in Washington, D.C., I do not because it is so prevalent of carjacking. And I don’t want the same thing happen to me what’s happened to a lot of people that work on The Hill.

In Washington, D.C., the use of seatbelts is mandatory while driving. The fine for not wearing one is $50.

Watch above via Fox News.