SACRAMENTO — Every year in the country, thousands of lives are saved during a crash because the people involved buckled up. In California hundreds of people die annually in traffic collisions simply because they were not using a seatbelt.
“Buckling up helps keep you safe and secure inside your vehicle should a crash occur,” California Highway Patrol (CHP) Commissioner Joe Farrow said. “Whereas being partially ejected or completely thrown out of a vehicle is almost always deadly.”
According to statistics from CHP”s statewide integrated traffic records system, of the 1,891 total vehicle occupants killed in 2009, there were 544 who were not using safety equipment, roughly 29 percent of all vehicle passengers killed.
Not only does wearing a seat belt increase your chances of surviving a collision, but it will keep you from getting a ticket. In 2009, CHP officers issued nearly 163,000 citations to vehicle occupants who weren”t wearing a seat belt. In addition, more than 16,000 citations were issued to parents, guardians or drivers who failed to properly secure children inside the vehicle.
To encourage more motorists to buckle up the CHP is undertaking a federally funded seatbelt and safety seat education and enforcement campaign. Throughout the effort, dubbed the California Occupant Restraint Campaign II (CORC II), CHP officers will be looking for drivers and passengers who aren”t buckled up. In addition to enforcement efforts, personnel will conduct community outreach to educate drivers about seatbelt and child restraint usage.
With CORC II, CHP hopes to reduce the number of fatalities and injuries in collisions. Statewide, comprehensive traffic safety seminars and classes are planned; child safety seat inspections will be conducted; and free safety seats will be distributed. The grant also funds training to certify CHP employees, as well as employees from allied agencies, to become child passenger safety technicians.
“Seat belts and child safety seats are the best defense against impaired, aggressive, and distracted drivers,” said Commissioner Farrow. “The two seconds it takes to buckle up can be the difference between life and death and can help prevent serious injuries from a collision.”
Funding for this campaign is provided by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
