Despite Traffic Safety Successes, the Work is Still Not Done

John Demas

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California has been doing it’s part to lower traffic fatalities. New research from the Office of Traffic Safety has indicated that the seat belt usage rate is now at 95.7%. I was happy with that percentage and glad to see the Click It or Ticket Campaign was working until I continued reading the article. That percentage still leaves well over one million California citizens unprotected. It seems they will not be satisfied until that number reads 100%.

In 2003, California decided to change our seat belt laws. Before then, not wearing a seat belt could only be a secondary offense. Someone could be pulled over for speeding, but not for violations of the seat belt law. That changed in 2003 when it was decided that an infraction of the seat belt laws were enough to pull someone over and ticket them. This stance has create a huge increase in seat belt use. Who wants to be pulled over for something as simple as buckling up? It wastes time and money. The fine for not using a seatbelt for drivers and passenger age sixteen or over is anywhere from $80 to $91 depending in the district. The fee for not having kids properly restrained is much higher. $350 on a first offense and up to a whopping $970 on a second offense! They really mean it, buckle up!

There is method in this madness. The State is not just out to make for money on traffic violations. It is a proven fact that wearing a seat belt can save your life. In California, 49% of traffic fatalities were from unrestrained drivers and passengers. Nearly half. In my blog about the tragic death of a Alexander Martinez I wrote about the physics of a collision and the fact that seat belts and airbags work together to make you safe. The seat belt can’t do it’s JOB if it isn’t buckled in properly.

On November 1, 2008, we saw a teenager lose her life. Jessica Rodriguez was out with a friend at 1am and the car they were in collided head on with another vehicle. The 18-year-old was thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene.

On November 13, 2008, Anthony Kimble and Jessica Aills were killed when they were thrown from their vehicle after a broadside collision. The driver of the other vehicle was wearing his seat belt and his airbag delployed, he suffered only moderate injuries.

These sad events are exactly what California safety organizations are trying to prevent. The Graduated Driver Licensing Program has had success in this area as well. Instituted in 2006, the law places restrictions on new, inexperienced, teen drivers. Rules such as no underage passengers in the vehicle without an adult age 25 or older in the front passenger seat and curfews have allowed teen drivers to get used to driving without distractions. It is also against the rules to use a mobile device while driving unless it’s an emergency. The program has shown a decrease in teen deaths and injuries with 16-year-old drivers by 40%! But sadly, amid the success of the CIT Campaign, seat belt usage among teen drivers is only 88.9%, much lower than the state average. There is still some work to be done.

Butte County is taking traffic safety seriously and just received a grant to educate parents and teens about child safety seats and the dangers of the road. Observers in September found that 12% of children being dropped off at area schools were not restrained at all. The County applied for the grant after a committee found that six Butte County children between the ages of 5 and 9 had died between 2001 and 2007.

Traffic safety, it seems, is on everybody’s mind. And it should be. Traffic collisions are a commonplace occurrence and are likely to happen to everybody at some point in their lives. I can only hope that when it happens to me and my loved ones, we have taken all the precautions we can. When you prepare yourself for the worst, what actually happens won’t be that bad.

The Click It or Ticket Campaign is in full swing right now. From November 17 to November 30 California Highway Patrol officers are on the freeways and looking for violators. They call it the “Next Generation” of the Click It or Ticket Campaign. During the holiday season more families are on the road and the increased security is there for their and your safety.

"Law enforcement wants to make sure everyone gets safely home to family and friends."
California Highway Patrol Commissioner Joe Farrow