It has become widely accepted that seat belts decrease the likelihood of injuries and death after a car accident. Rhode Island personal injury lawyers have supported recent efforts to increase awareness of the risks to unrestrained vehicle occupants who are involved in a collision, and continue their advocacy for this important public safety issue.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Association (“NHTSA”), as part of the United States Department of Transportation, has since 1970 been a leader in the area of traffic safety and regulation. Most notably, NHTSA’s Click It or Ticket campaign has been the most recognized and successful program to encourage seat belt use across the country. The benefits of such seat belt campaigns are seen in recent statistics. According to a NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts Research Note, seat belt use in 2012 was at an all-time high of 86%.
State governments have responded to the positive results that seat belt use produces and have enacted laws mandating that drivers and passengers use safety restraint devices. In all but 18 states, primary enforcement seat belt laws have been enacted, which means that failure to wear a restraint is considered a primary offense for which a law enforcement officer may stop and cite any citizen. All other states with the exception of New Hampshire are considered secondary enforcement states, where seat belt use is mandatory but a police officer may not stop a person for failure to comply with the law. The offense is only punishable along with another primary offense.
Rhode Island lawmakers have steadily advanced the state laws requiring that vehicle occupants use seat belts. Initially, the law allowed for secondary enforcement by law enforcement officers. Since 2011, the state has permitted primary enforcement of seat belt laws, punishable by an $85 fine. With the law set to expire soon, the state Department of Transportation has taken to promoting the benefits of primary versus secondary enforcement in various ways, including publication of full-page newspaper advertisements.
The efforts of the various public and private organizations, including Rhode Island car accident lawyers, aimed at increasing seat belt use and awareness of the trends in recent statistics have had a positive effect on public safety. An estimated 75,000 lives were saved by seat belt use between 2004 and 2008, according to NHTSA. Recent statistics show that the number of lives saved continues to grow annually, and with further action these numbers should continue to rise well into the future.