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Law enforcement focusing on seat belt use
over next couple of weeks |
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May 12, 2016 |
Protecting lives and reducing serious injury
from motor vehicle crashes may be as simple as
clicking a seat belt, so the Idaho
Transportation Department is supporting efforts
to increase Idahoans’ safety restraint use May
16-30.
The effort is part of a “Coast-to-Coast”
campaign encouraging all law enforcement to
participate in saving lives by increasing seat
belt use during this busy travel time.
Law enforcement agencies throughout Idaho will
participate in the high-visibility mobilization
effort, with officers dedicating extra hours to
educate citizens and to strictly enforce the
state’s safety restraint law during the 14-day
period that includes Memorial Day.
“Nearly eight out of ten Idahoans are buckling
up because it’s the single most effective thing
you can do to protect yourself in a crash. And,
it’s the right thing to do for your family and
community,” said Sherry Jenkins, with ITD’s
Office of Highway Safety. “Failing to wear a
seat belt puts you and your passengers at risk
for serious injury or death.”
“Many people tend to think that they don’t need
to buckle up,” she said. “They think they are
invincible. They are not.”
“Young adults are dying at a disproportionate
rate because they are not wearing their seat
belts. Men are dying in vehicle crashes twice as
much as women, and wearing their seat belts less
than women. Pickup truck occupants think that
they don’t need to wear their seat belts because
they believe their large vehicle will protect
them in a crash. They are dying as well,” she
explained.
Last year, 93 unrestrained people, including
children, were killed in Idaho traffic crashes.
State law requires all vehicle occupants to be
properly restrained, no matter where they are
seated. Fines for violating Idaho’s safety
restraint laws range from $10 to $69.
“The people killed are not just numbers. They
were family members that never made it home,”
said Jenkins. “They left behind families who
mourn their loss." |
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