Police officers see firsthand how seat belts save lives
"Seat belts save lives!" "Click it or Ticket." "Sit, Click, Drive."
All are catchy slogans meant to get your attention and promote seat belt use. I'm a firm believer in seat belt use. "Seat belts save lives" isn't just a slogan - it's a fact.
Michigan should be proud that we lead the nation in seat belt use. According to a Detroit News article, 98 percent of Michigan motorists use their seat belts. That is terrific and truly impressive from a law enforcement standpoint.
Police use enforcement campaigns and public education messages to promote seat belt use.
Speaking with officers who have been manning the seat belt enforcement zones recently, it is much harder these days to spot motorists who aren't wearing seat belts. The officers told me they have much more luck catching violators of the seat belt laws from patrol platforms that have a higher profile like SUVs or from stealthy vehicles like motorcycles.
I was told by one officer that a sheriff’s office in the area placed a deputy on a horse right next to the seat belt enforcement zone sign. The officer laughed when he told me people were so perplexed by a mounted deputy trying to enforce the seat belt law that they didn’t notice he was using the horse as an elevated platform to spot violators. The mounted deputy would radio to waiting chase cars when he spotted violations, and those deputies would pull over the violators.
Many of the violators were too busy - either scoffing at the idea of a mounted deputy being able to catch a car or admiring the deputy on the pretty horsey - to buckle up in time to avoid detection.
On a more serious note, most fatal accidents occur at speeds less than 45 miles per hour. Those are just the types of speeds one encounters in a city like Ann Arbor.
I was amazed when policing crashes in the city to see how torn up cars would be on the outside, but be perfectly intact in the passenger compartment. The key is to stay in your seat. For those who were properly seat belted and remained in their seats, there were usually little or no injuries, except being sore. The same was not true for those who were not belted.
People who didn't wear seat belts were launched all over the passenger compartment. Those people hit the fixed objects in the passenger compartment like steering wheels, dashboards, windshields and other occupants in the vehicle. Unrestrained movement inside the passenger compartment accounted for many needless injuries and deaths.
Please wear seat belts and wear them properly. Seat belts really do save lives.
Lock it up, don’t leave it unattended, be aware and watch out for your neighbors.
Rich Kinsey is a retired Ann Arbor police detective sergeant who now blogs about crime and safety for AnnArbor.com.
Comments
lizw
Fri, Jun 11, 2010 : 2:38 p.m.
Go to http://embracethis.co.uk/ or to YouTube "Embrace Life" for a good reason to use seatbelts.
chakro bagton-meyers
Fri, Jun 11, 2010 : 4:30 a.m.
seatbelts reduce injuries. what needs to happen is that people need to save their reactionary "oh noez! nanny state government intrusion! i have rights too!" whining some other cause. -Chakro "interstate highways are socialist!" D., Jr.
chakro bagton-meyers
Fri, Jun 11, 2010 : 4:26 a.m.
@AlwaysLate "Forcing us to wear a seat belt is an unwarranted intrusion on our rights and our lives." I'm not paying higher premiums because you don't feel like wearing a seatbelt. "And, please, will all forms of news media stop dropping the line "...it is not known whether the driver was wearing a seat belt." You yourself admit that seatbelts do reduce injuries. What makes you think it's not relevant to a news story about a car accident? Your logic is flawed at best, Mr. Officer.
AlwaysLate
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 12:22 p.m.
Seat belts do not make you a safer driver. Seat belts do not make you a worse driver. Seat belts do reduce injuries. Seat belts do save some (not all) lives. Forcing us to wear a seat belt is an unwarranted intrusion on our rights and our lives. And, please, will all forms of news media stop dropping the line "...it is not known whether the driver was wearing a seat belt." when reporting an accident. Wearing a seat belt is not pertinent to the driver's abilities...or lack thereof. This is a good example of corporate influence on the media and our lives. And as far as the police are concerned...it's just a money maker for the local government. Oh, and by the way, I'm a Police Office!
krc
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 11:13 a.m.
Only recently have I begun to wear my seatbelt in the back seat (always in the front). Sometimes I am in a car group of 5 and that center seat is a sure bet for drastic, even fatal injuries if not belted. BANG! and right through the windshield! If not belted in the back seat window positions, I've heard tell of victims being crushed and smashed into the space where their feet were in an accident. Horrible injuries.
ChunkyPastaSauce
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 10:54 a.m.
Counterintuitively seat belt laws actually causes an increase in fatalities. source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seat_belt_legislation The reason seems to be that people who use seat belts change their risk behavior (ie drive fast, reduced spacing, etc)
bunnyabbot
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 10:50 a.m.
wearing a seat belt is so easy to do. the people I have met that don't want to wear them always mention they want control of their life not the government controling it for them, so if they die they die, screw the system. Nevermind the serious non fatal injuries one could sustain, nothing like needing physical theraphy for months, missing work, loss of limbs or the use of them, stuck in a wheelchair or being in a vegitative state.
treetowncartel
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 10:20 a.m.
Driving is a privilege and not something carved out in the bill of rights. That is what makes it possible for the government to regulate it. If you don't want to wear a seat belt legally, just drive a really old car that does not have them in it.
ypsimi
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 10:01 a.m.
@Nerak - "Do I really only care about myself"? I was asking a question about the justification for writing tickets for individuals not wearing seat belts. How my loved ones might feel were I to get in an accident is completely irrelevant. I was solely wondering why money and resources are diverted (wasted in my opinion) on pulling over motorists and ticketing them for a personal choice. @ Adam Jaskiewicz - I appreciate your response thanks for giving an informed and intelligent response to my question.
hozay
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 9:17 a.m.
I think that there are a lot people who need organs. I think the government is way too involved with or lives. I think that it's a win win if you don't wear your seatbelt.
Nerak
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 8:29 a.m.
Your decision not to use a seat belt ends up costing all of us a lot more money. A higher incidence of unnecessary injury requires a more elaborate response from police and ambulances, not to mention attention required by health care personnel at the hospital. They could all be attending to someone else who really deserved their attention. And on a personal level, think about the people who love you, in spite of your stubbornness: think how upset they'd be if you were injured, and how they would lament, "What if he'd just used his seat belt?" Do you REALLY only care about yourself?
tdw
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 8:26 a.m.
@ypsimi I think it has to do with money and insurance companies.They pay a lot less if you don't hurt as badly or die.Plus the gov't gets a nice chunk of cash if you're caught with out one on.
ypsimi
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 7:19 a.m.
While it's clear that seat belt use saves lives, it's unclear to me why this is a ticket-able offense? Why is this considered a concern of local government? Is it a ticket-able offense for me to eat a Big Mac? Both are detrimental to "my" health, they are not a cause of public concern, are they? I fell that our tax dollars could be utilized in a more efficient manner by the local police than to spend millions on these awful "Click it or ticket" ad campaigns. I would welcome replies??