Buckle Up: Save A Life
By state Sen. Connie Williams

If 100 percent of the occupants of passenger cars involved in vehicle accidents in 2006 had worn seat belts, the Commonwealth would have saved approximately $160 for every man, woman and child in Pennsylvania or around $1.99 billion.

While some may point to this as the price tag for not wearing seat belts, I think the real price tag is found in the 316 people who's lives were tragically cut short, because they didn't wear a seat belt.

Here's some other statistics that you should know about Pennsylvania's 2006 traffic crash data:

• there were 128,342 reportable accidents

• each day 352 reportable accidents occurred (about 15 crashes every hour)

• each day 4 people were killed in reportable accidents (one death every 6 hours)

• each day 265 people were injured in reportable accidents (about 11 injuries every hour)

• of the 1,525 fatalities from reportable accidents, 54.7 percent (or 616) of those who died were not wearing seat belts (we don't know whether or not another 13.8 percent - or 156 - of those were or weren't wearing a seat belt)

• the economic loss due to traffic crashes was $895 for every man, woman and child in Pennsylvania

Over the past Labor Day weekend seven of the eight people killed in highway crashes in Pennsylvania were not wearing seat belts.

Pennsylvania first passed a safety belt law in 1987. The law requires the driver and front seat passengers of a passenger car, Class I and Class II trucks, or motor home to wear a properly adjusted and fastened safety belt. This was made a secondary violation, which means that a motorist must be pulled over for speeding, a broken taillight or some other infraction, before they can be cited.

For those wondering about the child passenger restraint laws, Pennsylvania passed a primary law in 1983 requiring drivers to secure children under 4 in approved child seats. This law was changed in 2003 to require children 4 through 7 to be in appropriate car seats or booster seats and children 8 through 17 to be secured in a seat belt whenever riding anywhere in a vehicle, and it made violations a secondary offense.

Just recently, the federal government gave states with strong seat belt laws more than $109 million. This is from an incentive grant program established in 2005 to encourage more states to enact and enforce seat belt laws. Unfortunately, Pennsylvania passed up on the millions of dollars, because we continue to look at seat belt use as a secondary offense, rather than a primary one.

A primary law allows law enforcement officers to stop a vehicle and cite its driver if an officer observes an unbelted driver or front seat passenger.

Once again during this legislative session, I have introduced a bill (S.B. 42) that would raise Pennsylvania's safety standards and save lives by raising seat belt violations from a secondary to a primary offense. If it was passed, Pennsylvania would join about half of the country in sending the message that if you get into a vehicle you should buckle up.

It is unfortunate that I have not received widespread support for my legislation from my colleagues. My legislation has yet to be voted out of committee. This seems like common sense to me and to many others. Most of us wouldn't play Russian roulette with a loaded firearm. Getting behind the wheel of a vehicle, or being a passenger in a vehicle and not wearing a seat belt can have the same consequences.

I urge you to call or write to your legislator and ask him or her to make Pennsylvania's seat belt law a primary offense. Do it for yourself and do it for those you care about.