AGENCIES CELEBRATE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF SEAT BELT LAW

Commissioner David J. Swarts of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles and Chair of the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC) today along with other traffic safety partners celebrated the 25th anniversary of the seat belt law being signed. New York was the first state in the nation to have a primary seat belt law.

The law, which was signed on July 12, 1984 and implemented on January 1, 1985, requires that all front seat occupants wear a seat belt, regardless of age. In the Fall of 1985, the seat belt usage rate in New York State was only 46 percent. Last year, the rate had nearly doubled and was recorded at its highest, 89 percent. During the same time frame, there has been a decline in crash fatalities. In 2007, there were approximately 1,300 statewide fatalities, a sharp decline of nearly 35 percent from the almost 2,000 fatalities reported in 1985.

"Increasing seat belt and child safety restraint use is the most effective way to reduce crash-related injuries and fatalities," said Commissioner Swarts. "During the time frame since the law was enacted in 1985, we have seen an increase in seat belt usage as well as a decrease in crash fatalities. In celebrating the 25th anniversary of the primary seat belt law, our goal is to continue to communicate the message that seat belts save lives."

Also present were members of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), representatives from the New York State Police, New York State Association of Chiefs of Police 3rd Vice President Chief Joseph Waldron, New York State Sheriffs' Association Executive Director Peter Kehoe and retired New York State Trooper David Parker who wrote the first ticket under the new law.

According to NHTSA, more than 37, 000 people were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2008. It's the lowest number of deaths on U.S. roads since 1961, when more than 36,000 lives were lost. The nation also saw the lowest fatality rate ever recorded in 2008 at 1.28 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, down from 1.36 in 2007.

NHTSA Senior Associate Administrator for Traffic Injury Control Brian McLaughlin said, "We congratulate New York on the anniversary of being the first State in the Nation to enact a seat belt law. The Empire State has shown - and continues to show - extraordinary vision and leadership in highway safety, and its roads are safer because of this."

During the statewide May 2008 Click it or Ticket Enforcement, which ran from May 19 through June 1, more than 20,000 seatbelt tickets were written by the State Police. The statewide total from all law enforcement agencies during the same period was nearly 57,000.

New York State Police Superintendent Harry J. Corbitt said, "For the past 25 years that New York's seatbelt laws have been in existence, the New York State Police has been educating and stressing the importance of the proper use of safety restraints in motor vehicles. Proper use of seatbelts and child safety seats are the best way for operators and passengers to dramatically reduce their risk of severe injury or death when in a motor vehicle accident. It is unfathomable that some motorists continue to risk their personal safety and that of others by not wearing seatbelts. Approximately ninety percent of New York's motoring public understands this and we thank them for helping to save lives and reduce injuries. We will continue to do our part to reduce the senseless deaths resulting from non-compliance."

Also being announced today is the start of the national 2009 "Buckle Up New York- Click it or Ticket" Enforcement Mobilization that runs from May 18 through May 31. The "Buckle Up New York - Click It or Ticket" enforcement period is a statewide, zero-tolerance enforcement effort coordinated by the State Police and the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee to increase safety restraint use in New York State.

David Parker, a retired New York State Trooper who handed out the first seat belt ticket in the nation under the new law on January 1, 1985 said, "As a state trooper, I dealt with many crashes with injuries or fatalities that could have been prevented had motorists and passengers been properly restrained. Educating the public and major enforcement waves help to raise awareness to such a critical issue."

All rear seat passengers under the age of 16 must wear a seat belt. All children under the age of 4 years old must be restrained in a federally approved child safety seat. Children ages 4, 5 and 6 must be properly restrained in an appropriate child restraint system, one that meets the child's height and weight recommendations according to the child restraint manufacturer.

Research conducted by NHTSA has found that lap/shoulder seat belts, when used properly, reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occu­pants by 45 percent and the risk of moderate-to-critical injury by 50 percent. Seat belt use continues to be higher in states such as New York, in which vehicle occupants can be stopped, ticketed and fined solely for not wearing seat belts ("primary law" States) compared to those with weaker enforcement laws ("secondary law" States in which law enforcement officers may issue a ticket for not wearing a seat belt only when there is another citable traffic infraction.)

More information on New York State's Seat Belt Law can be found by visiting the DMV's web site at nysdmv.com or the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee web site at SafeNY.com.

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