TALLAHASSEE, FL - As the Florida legislature is considering bills to upgrade the state's current mandatory seat belt law from secondary enforcement to primary or "standard" enforcement, a new study by the National Safety Council documents high fatalities among Florida young people because of low seat belt use rates.
Primary seat belt laws bring enforcement of a seat belt violation in line with other motor vehicle law such as a broken tail light. Primary laws cover 60 percent of the U.S. population and are in place in 20 states.
Commissioned by the National Safety Council and conducted by Preusser Research Group, Inc. of Trumbull, Conn., the study, "Teenage Safety Belt Use" (pdf; 790 kb), found that from 1998 to 2002 of the 2,278 fatalities age 16 to 24 only 23% were belted.
"You are seeing the effect of a weak seat belt law. Many of these young people would still be alive today if only they were belted. Passing a primary enforcement seat belt law in Florida could have a dramatic impact on use rate among these drivers," said Janet Dewey-Kollen of the National Safety Council.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, safety belts can reduce the risk of death for front seat occupants of passenger cars by 45% and decrease the risk of serious injury for front seat occupants of passenger cars by 50%.
Dewey-Kollen says the experience of other states shows that passage of primary seat belt use laws have been instrumental in other states in getting higher risk drivers, like teens and young adults, to buckle up. "Fatality rates for young drivers - including those well into their 20's - are twice those of older drivers. Young people respect primary seat belt use laws and buckle up. There's no question that increased seat belt use will save the state young lives."
For the years 1998-2002, only 26% of young drivers and 16% of young passengers killed in crashes in Florida were buckled up according to the government's fatal accident reporting system. Florida has experienced several tragic fatal crashes recently involving young people riding unbuckled.
Regarding the views of some legislators that primary seat belt laws represent government intrusion, Dewey-Kollen says, "Some people choose to see a primary seat belt law as the difference between enough government and too much government. We respectfully submit that this yardstick be applied elsewhere - not to such a critical public health issue."
The National Safety Council is a nonprofit, nongovernmental, international public service organization dedicated to protecting life and promoting health. Members of NSC include more than 45,000 businesses, labor organizations, schools, public agencies, private groups and individuals. Founded in 1913, and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1953, the primary focus of the NSC is preventing injuries that occur in workplaces, homes, communities and motor vehicles. For more information about the NSC, visit the NSC website at www.nsc.org or contact your local NSC chapter.
For Immediate Release, April 5, 2004
Media Contact: National Safety Council 630-775-2307 media@nsc.org
