Preliminary+Research+Paper

SEAT BELTS

"People should be forced" to buckle up, Hurst, of Chesilhurst, N.J., said. "There are things the government forces you to do to save your own life or somebody else's, and I don't see this as any different."
 * Ginsberg, Thomas. "More States Get Tougher on Seat Belts." //Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, PA)//. 29 Jun 1998: A1+. //SIRS Researcher.// Web. 13 Apr 2011. **

Nationwide, countless similar experiences and a mountain of statistics are slowly leading more states, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey, to consider letting police pull over somebody just for driving unbelted--a power that had been considered too draconian for Americans to swallow when most seat-belt laws were enacted in the 1980s.

The shift is leading some people to wonder whether Americans are softening their most enduring philosophical argument against tougher enforcement: that forcing people to buckle up violates personal freedom and could lead to abuse by police.

To critics and some civil libertarians, the idea of police stopping somebody for being unbuckled smacks of paternalism.

But seat-belt proponents reject the gloomy implication for civil liberties, saying the growing support for tougher enforcement just shows that on some issues, opinion follows behavior. If people are forced to do something clearly good for them, they get used to it and even support it.

Today 14 states and the District of Columbia allow police to stop a car if its passengers appear to be unbelted, a policy known as "primary" or "standard" enforcement. Most countries with seat-belt laws grant similar powers, according to the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

But the majority of U.S. states, 35 including Pennsylvania and New Jersey, only allow police to issue a ticket after pulling a vehicle over for some other violation, such as a broken taillight or speeding. It's known as "secondary" enforcement.

New Hampshire is the only state with no mandatory seat-belt law.

The concept of primary vs. secondary enforcement exists in no other law, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It was created in 1982 by New Jersey, to guard against a backlash by drivers and possible abuse by police, such as "racial profiling," in traffic stops.

Seat-belt usage nationwide shot up after laws were imposed, becoming second nature to many motorists, but not all. "Before I got that ticket, I never wore a seat belt," said Hurst, 52. "The belts were so uncomfortable, too tight or too lose."

Since those gains, however, the national rate for seat-belt usage appears to have peaked at 69 percent. It's even dropping in some states, for unknown reasons. Since the early 1990s, Pennsylvania has slipped from 72 percent to 65 percent, and New Jersey from 68 percent to 62 percent, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

While education campaigns and high-visibility checkpoints may help intermittently, safety experts say they believe usage will not rise significantly without tougher steps. They are starting with a campaign for primary enforcement, which has been shown to increase belt use 15 percent to 20 percent, mostly by heightening people's fear of getting caught.

Of the 5,341 teens killed in crashes in 2001, two-thirds were not wearing seat belts, according to the most recent statistics available from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
 * Irvine, Martha. "Young Americans Still Dying Because Seat Belts Are 'Uncool'." //Gazette-Mail (Charleston, WV)//. Aug. 3 2003: 1A+. //SIRS Researcher.// Web. 13 Apr 2011. **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Overall, about three-quarters of Americans say they wear seat belts, according to NHTSA surveys. Among those ages 16 to 24, 69 percent say they wear their seat belts--an improvement over years past.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">"When kids are very young, their parents faithfully put them in car seats--and as they get older, their parents buckle them up," says Kathy Swanson, chairwoman of the Governors Highway Safety Association and head of Minnesota's traffic-safety program. "But when these kids hit 15, many stop wearing seat belts."

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Another 30 percent said belts were uncomfortable or would wrinkle their clothing, while 20 percent said they thought seat belts were unnecessary on short trips. And 18 percent said a feeling of invincibility--"nothing will happen to me"--stopped them from regularly buckling up. The survey had a margin of error of 5 percentage points.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">California was among the first states to impose tougher laws like the ones Wisconsin is considering. Now seat-belt use there is in the 90 percent range, among the best in the country.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">"If you think seat belts don't affect you, think again."


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">O'Donnell, Jayne. "U.S. Pushes for Wider Seat Belt Use." //USA TODAY//. 19 May 2003: n.p. //SIRS Researcher.// Web. 02 May 2011 **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">• Americans have grown used to losing almost as many people every year in crashes as were lost during the entire Vietnam War. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Although more people under 60 now die from injuries in car crashes than from injuries from any other cause, other misfortunes **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;">Thomas, Ken. "Report: 48 Million Refuse to Buckle Up." //Boston Globe (Boston, MA)//. 15 May 2006: n.p. //SIRS Researcher.// Web. 13 Apr 20 ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">About 48 million people do not regularly put on seat belts when they are on the road, a figure the government's highway safety agency hopes to lower with an annual public education campaign ahead of the summer driving season.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">The latest report on seat belt use by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says men account for 65 percent of the more than 31,000 people killed each year in passenger vehicles.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">The report being released Monday found:

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">• 58 percent of those killed who were not wearing a seat belt crashed along rural roads.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">• In crashes involving pickup trucks, about seven in 10 people who died were unbelted.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">• More than six in 10 people age 8-44 who were killed inside a passenger vehicle were not buckled up.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">lap and shoulder safety belts reduce the risk of death for those in the front seat of passenger cars by 45 percent and the risk of moderate-to-critical injuries by 50 percent.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">The fatality risk for front-seat motorists in sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks and vans who wear seat belts is reduced by 60 percent; moderate-to-critical injuries by 65 percent.


 * "Safety Belt Statistics." //James Madison University - Home//. Web. 09 May 2011. <http://www.jmu.edu/safetyplan/vehicle/generaldriver/safetybelt.shtml>.**

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
 * "Safety Belt Statistics." //James Madison University - Home//. JMU Office of Public Safety. Web. 09 May 2011. <http://www.jmu.edu/safetyplan/vehicle/generaldriver/safetybelt.shtml>.**

Safety Belt Statistics

 * One out of every five drivers will be involved in a traffic crash this year.


 * Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among people age 44 and younger and the number one cause of head and spinal cord injury.


 * Approximately 35,000 people die in motor vehicle crashes each year. About 50 percent (17,000) of these people could be saved if they wore their safety belts.


 * More than 90 percent of all motorists believe safety belts are good idea, but less than 14 percent actually use them.


 * For every one percent [|increase] in safety belt use, 172 lives and close to $100 million in annual injury and death costs could be saved.


 * Safety belts when used properly reduce the number of serious traffic injuries by 50 percent and fatalities by 60-70 percent.


 * For maximum protection safety belts should be fastened before traveling any distance or speed. Seventy-five percent of crash deaths and injuries occur within 25 miles of home. More than half of all injury-producing motor vehicle crashes involve low speeds under 40 m.p.h.


 * Motorists are 25 times are more likely to be killed or seriously injured when they are "thrown clear" than when remain inside their vehicle.


 * In a 30 m.p.h. collision an unbelted 160 lb. Person can strike another passenger, crash through a windshield and/or slam into the vehicle's interior with a 4,800 lb. force.


 * Motorists can increase safety belt usage by example and verbal reminders. Nine out of 10 people buckle up when asked.


 * Safety belt use is one of the best defenses against the unpredictable actions of the drunk driver.


 * Today over 25 countries around the world have some type of mandatory safety belt law. Results of these laws were measured; usage rate went from 20-25 percent before passage to 60-90 percent after passage.


 * A common cause of death and injury to children in motor vehicles is being crushed by adults who are not wearing safety belts. On out of four serious injuries to passengers is caused by occupants being thrown into each other.


 * About 80 percent of all injuries to children in car crashes are injuries to the head, causing brain damage, permanent disfigurement, epilepsy or death.


 * Of every 100 children who die in motor vehicle crashes at least 80 would survive if they were properly secured in an approved [|child safety] seat or safety belts.


 * Three out of four families with child safety seats fail to use them correctly. Adults need to follow manufacturer's instructions and secure seats properly before every trip.


 * An estimated 80 percent of American children area immunized against contagious diseases, but less than 10 percent are properly restrained when riding in a motor vehicle.