Kids Tell State Pols: Pass Seat Belt Laws

"Strong seat belt laws save kids. When's it gonna click?" That's the message being delivered in state capitals throughout the nation this month as kids call on their governors, state legislators and other elected officials to enact primary seat belt laws. The meetings are part of a stepped-up effort by the Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign to support state campaigns to enact strong belt laws. The effort was kicked-off at a news conference in Washington, DC.

The Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign is a public/private partnership of automotive manufacturers, insurance companies, child safety seat manufacturers, occupant restraint manufacturers, government agencies, health professionals and child health and safety organizations.

In a video taped message, Gov. Howard Dean, M.D. (VT) noted a scientific study published recently in the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics which concluded, "Driver restraint use was the strongest predictor of child restraint use ... A restrained driver was three times more likely to restrain a child." Dean cited the relationship between driver and child seat belt use as a major reason why he actively supports the effort to enact a primary seat belt law in Vermont.

"Unbuckled kids are in serious danger because car crashes are the leading risk children face," said Jacob Scanlon, a 12-year-old seat belt activist from Virginia. "To keep kids safe, my state and other states need strong seat belt laws that cover adults."

"Mounting evidence shows clearly that adults who don't buckle up, don't buckle up kids," added Lt. Governor John H. Hager (VA). "To get kids buckled up, we need to get everyone buckled up. That's why we need a strong, primary seat belt law in Virginia and in other states that don't yet have one."

The Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign also unveiled new television, radio and print advertisements it has developed to support state legislative efforts. The action in the ads showcases the urgent need for stronger belt laws to save children's lives by portraying the real-life experience of thousands of Americans. Initial plans call for use of the ads to support local campaigns in Florida, Illinois and Virginia, however they will be made available to help support the work of other state campaigns for primary belt laws currently underway.

"What makes these ads unique is that unlike traditional safety ads urging people to buckle up," said Janet Dewey, executive director of the Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign, "these ads urge support for strong seat belt laws to save children's lives."

Under primary laws, officers may make a stop and issue a citation solely for failure to wear seat belts, like other traffic violations. Secondary laws permit an officer to ticket a driver for not wearing a seat belt only after making a stop for another offense. Currently, 14 states and the District of Columbia have primary laws and 35 states have secondary seat belt laws covering adults; New Hampshire has no belt law covering adults. Seat belt use averages 10-15 percentage points higher in states with primary enforcement, and another 10-15 percentage points higher still in states that visibly enforce their laws.

"Unbuckled kids are an epidemic in America. Seat belt laws covering only children aren't getting the job done to protect kids," said Milton Little, executive vice president and COO, National Urban League. "Every state has a strong child restraint law, yet six out of ten children killed in crashes are unrestrained. And the problem isn't just with young children—we are losing teens who don't buckle up themselves or their passengers." A recent study by the Johns Hopkins University and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that African American children are three times more likely to die in crashes than other kids and African American and Hispanic teens are twice as likely to be killed in a crash than other teens.

Primary laws are a proven method to increase both adult seat belt use and child restraint use. For example, when Louisiana passed a primary seat belt law, adult belt use increased by 13 percentage points and child restraint use jumped from 45% to 82% in just two years—and that's with no change to the law covering kids.

"Primary seat belt laws save lives, and we hope to see them passed," said Senator Nathaniel Exum (MD), treasurer, National Black Caucus of State Legislators. "At the same time, there are real concerns among people of color that these laws may not be enforced fairly. That is why we support safeguards in every primary seat belt law to ensure uniform enforcement."