Seat belt campaign aims to save lives, not scare

To the editor:

In response to your Sept. 17 editorial, "Scare campaign":

Last year, 373 people lost their lives in Nevada due to traffic crashes; 123 of these were not restrained by a safety belt in the car. It is estimated that about half, or 60 people, would be alive if they'd buckled up. Wearing a seat belt can be the difference between calling a tow truck or calling the coroner.

There is an epidemic in this country: more than 41,000 people die every year on our nation's roadways. That's the equivalent of 12 fully loaded jumbo jets crashing and killing everyone aboard -- times seven. If this happened, the public would want the government to intervene and fix the problem. Why is there not the same concern for those traveling on our roadways?

"Click it or Ticket" is an innovative enforcement, education and public awareness project, spearheaded by the Nevada Joining Forces program. "Click it Or Ticket" works where education has not; people are more afraid of getting a ticket than of being injured or killed in a crash.

Since Nevada began this program in 2002, its observed seat belt usage rate has increased from 78 percent to 91 percent, saving multiple lives and preventing thousands of serious injuries. The reduction in fatalities and injuries has also saved money. The average economic cost per fatality is $977,000, with a serious injury costing upward of $1.23 million. These costs are paid by all of us, in respect to productivity losses, property damage, medical costs, rehabilitation costs, travel delay, congestion, legal and court costs, emergency services, insurance administration costs and employer costs.

Even though Nevada's seat belt law is secondary, it is still a law. It has been proved that changing the seat belt law from secondary to primary enforcement raises a state's usage rate from six to 12 percent within the first year. Yes, Nevada has an observed usage rate of 91 percent, but the number of unbelted road fatalities tells a different story: only 49 percent of Nevada's road fatalities in 2007 were belted in. Those not buckling up in Nevada are primarily young males, night-time drivers and impaired drivers. These are the people we want to influence where only campaigns like "Click it or Ticket" can help convince them to buckle up.

Nevada's "Click it or Ticket" campaign message is not misleading. All information clearly states that enforcement is secondary, and that "you'll only be given a ticket [for not wearing a belt] if you're first observed violating another traffic law." In fact, all of Nevada's traffic laws are standard enforcement, except for seat belt usage; why not make seat belt enforcement standard like all the rest? Why should an officer be able to pull you over for having an air freshener hanging from your rear view mirror, but not for something that might actually save your life?

TRACI PEARL

CARSON CITY

THE WRITER WORKS FOR NEVADA'S OFFICE OF TRAFFIC SAFETY. THE NEVADA SEAT BELT COALITION'S WEB SITE IS WWW.BUCKLEUPNEVADA.ORG.