Every week, about two Massachusetts families receive a call telling them their child has been killed in a car accident, Easthampton Police Chief Robert Redfern said yesterday at a State House conference held to draw support for a new seatbelt law.
The primary seatbelt enforcement law would allow police officers to ticket motorists solely for not wearing their seatbelts. Currently, not wearing a seatbelt is a secondary offense, meaning drivers must be stopped for something else before receiving a seatbelt violation.
“Our research shows that if Massachusetts adopts a primary enforcement law, it is estimated that an additional 638,000 motorists would buckle up, and this increase would result in 30 to 40 fewer deaths on the road,” said Rep. Timothy Toomey (D-Cambridge), House Chair for the Joint Committee on Public Safety.
According to the SAFE Coalition, a seatbelt advocacy group, Massachusetts drivers only buckle up 50 percent of the time, compared to the national average of 70 percent. The Bay State ranks 49th in the United States.
“The statistics are pretty startling,” said Libby Main, a SAFE spokeswoman. “This is a very important safety issue. This law will help parents to set a good example for their children.”
Seamus O’Hara, who was involved in an auto accident just last month, shared a personal story.
On an icy day, O’Hara was putting his three daughters in the backseat of his Ford Explorer, when his 3-year-old, Macklyn, spoke up to remind him to buckle her in properly. Immediately after he returned to the front seat, O’Hara heard another warning from his daughter.
“You can’t go until you put yours on,” said Macklyn, referring to her father’s seatbelt.
A few minutes later, O’Hara realized that his daughter’s warnings might have saved their lives.
While on their way to the babysitter, O’Hara’s Explorer hit an icy patch and the vehicle spun around twice before overturning. O’Hara suffered only a pulled muscle, while his children walked away uninjured. The Cape Cod family said without seatbelts the accident could have been a lot worse.
Main also pointed out the impact of seatbelt use on insurance and health care costs.
“On average it costs $7,000 to care for a patient who was in an accident and did not wear a seatbelt, as opposed to only $1,000 for someone who was wearing a seatbelt,” she said.
The primary seatbelt law states that for the first 180 days after it takes effect, police officers can only issue a warning. The law also holds that officers cannot search a driver or their vehicle only because of a seatbelt violation.
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