5/9/2016
Statewide seat belt enforcement campaign set for May 16-30
BOISE -- 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."