5/19/2014
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
Click it to protect lives, reduce injury and save money
Memorial Day law enforcement mobilization underway
BOISE - Protecting lives, reducing serious injury and saving Idaho taxpayer money may be as simple as clicking a seat belt, so the Idaho Transportation Department is supporting efforts to increase Idahoans’ safety restraint use now (Monday, May 19) through June 1.
Many people may think that they don’t need to buckle up - that they are invincible. They are not.
Last year, 97 unrestrained people were killed in Idaho traffic crashes. In addition, not wearing a seat belt has a societal cost - $605 million in 2012 in Idaho alone.
Recent U.S. DOT estimates show that more than 12,000 lives were saved nationwide because they were restrained, and another 3,000 lives could have been saved if the individual had been properly restrained.
Young adults are dying at a disproportionate rate because they are not wearing seat belts. Men are dying in vehicle crashes twice as often as women, and wearing their seat belts less than women. Many pickup truck occupants think they don’t need to wear their seat belts because their large vehicle will protect them in a crash. They are dying as well.
More than 75 Idaho law enforcement agencies 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.”
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,” explained Jenkins. “They leave behind families who mourn their loss.”
The national safety restraint use rate rose to 87 percent in 2013, while Idaho’s use rate was 79 percent.