Buckle up or else.

• Author: Goehring, Jan
• Position: Includes related articles on federal funding to support seatbelt use legislation/enforcement by states and child fatalities in car accidents - Seat belt law enforcement

To encourage the use of seat belts, states have passed laws to let cops pull over unbelted drivers. To encourage passage of those laws there is a federal incentive of $500 million.

Buckle up. It's the law," say the roadside signs. And it's true, it is the law in every state except New Hampshire. In some states, however, the signs could read: "Buckle up or get pulled over," reflecting a move toward stronger enforcement of seat belt laws.

In most states a driver must commit some kind of moving violation before he can be cited for failure to wear a seat belt. But "primary" or "standard" seat belt laws enacted in at least 16 states and the District of Columbia now allow police officers to pull a driver over when they notice that she is not wearing a seat belt. More than 20 states considered legislation this past year to strengthen seat belt laws. The laws are designed to increase seat belt use and decrease deaths and injuries on the roads.

Opponents object to primary enforcement on the grounds that it is too much government intrusion into our lives, and that drivers should be allowed to make their own decisions about wearing seat belts. Others are concerned that it will give police another way to harass minorities by stopping vehicles or, the pretext of belt violations.

BELT USE FOR SAFETY

The National Safety Council (NSC) reports that traffic crashes are the leading cause of all injury-related deaths in America and of deaths of young people aged 6 to 24. During the past 10 years, however, traffic-related deaths and injuries have declined due to a substantial increase in seat belt use. Simply buckling up reduces the risk of fatal injury by 45 percent and the risk of moderate-to-critical injury by 50 percent, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Between 1983 and 1997, seat belt use in the United States rose from 14 percent to 69 percent. This rate has flattened out over the past few years. The U.S. Department of Transportation wants to increase seat belt use to 90 percent by the year 2005. If this goal is achieved, an estimated 5,536 lives will be saved and 132,670 injuries prevented annually, leading to a savings of nearly $9 billion in medical costs and avoided economic losses. Through the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), the federal government has established incentive grants for states that enact tougher seat belt laws and increase belt use.

Safety advocates argue that the most effective way to increase seat belt use and decrease injuries is to pass primary enforcement laws. States with...