BOSTON -- Days after the state Legislature refused to pass a primary seat belt law, eight people were killed in one night on Bay State roads. Four of the victims were ejected from their cars.

Some people are now asking if a primary seat belt law would have saved their lives.

"We know that when primary seat belt laws pass, more people wear them, more people's lives are saved," said Sen. Patricia Jehlen. "Crushed cars? Maybe not. But the ones who are ejected, obviously, they would have been saved."

In 2008, there were 363 motor vehicle fatalities in Massachusetts. Nearly 60 percent or 208 of the victims were not using a restraint. Would a primary seat belt law have forced some of the victims to wear their seat belt?

"We could sit here all day and speculate. We'd never know for sure. Nobody will ever know," said Rep. Charles Murphy.

Last week, Beacon Hill lost over $13 million by failing to meet a federal deadline to pass a primary seat belt law which would have allowed police to stop anyone not wearing a restraint. Currently, drivers can be fined only if first stopped for another violation.

"Federal money aside, how about the lives lost and the cost of what's happened to these families? It's time it hit the floor in both the House and Senate and we took a vote on it," Senate President Therese Murray said.

But lingering questions about an uptick in racial profiling in states with primary seat belt laws has the governor still sitting on the fence.

"I hate to leave money on the side, but I do think there are things that we can legislate and there are things we just have to do as a matter of good common sense," Gov. Deval Patrick said.

Three years ago, the Senate overwhelmingly approved a primary seat belt law, but the House later rejected it by only four votes.