HOW HOW WE WE SEE SEE IT: Arkansas’ Seat Belt Law A Good Thing

There are enough statistics by now to convince virtually anyone that seat belts save lives.

In 2007, more than 14,000 people died in car crashes while not wearing a seat belt.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated that half of those people would have survived if they had buckled up.

The good news is that seat belt use is rising. The NHTSA reported recently that 84 percent of vehicle occupants in America are using their seat belts this year, up from roughly 60 percent in 1995.

Also noteworthy is the impact that primary seat belt laws are having. Thirty states have primary enforcement laws regarding seat belts, which means that drivers can be pulled over solely for not buckling up. Arkansas joined that club in June when itsprimary enforcement law went into effect.

According to the NHTSA, seat belt use is at 88 percent in primary enforcement states and 77 percent in secondary enforcement states.

It’s reasonable to conclude, then, that while most people are getting the message that a seat belt can mean the difference between life and death, other folks need a little more motivation from the law. Either way, lives are being saved.

Drivers who violate the seat belt law can be fined $25 for the first offense. Our hope is that officers are enforcing the law in order to instill safer driving habits, and not merely to enhance a revenue stream for their city or county.

One pitfall of having a primary enforcement seat belt law is the potential that police officers will use it as an excuse to harass people based on their race - a concern that was raised during this year’s legislative session in Little Rock. In response, the Legislature created the Task Force on Racial Profiling, which met for the first time last week. The 13-member, volunteer task force will report its findings and recommendations by the end of 2011.

A similar task force concluded in 2005 that racial profiling exists in Arkansas. That was only four years ago, but another look is warranted now that the new seat belt law has been in effect for several months. It’s also important because of Arkansas’ growing Hispanic population.

Our hope is that the task force takes its work seriously and approaches its job without preconceptions. Let’s not invent a problem where there is none, but if racial profiling is common in Arkansas, it must be addressed.

Returning to our main point: Seat belts are important, especially at this time of year when the weather tends to get nasty and many people are traveling to grandma’s house for the holidays. Accidents can happen to even the best drivers. We all know the rules for safe driving, so let’s stick to them. Be smart and be careful, and you should arrive at your destination just fine.

Opinion, Pages 5 on 12/23/2009

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