Buckling Up Should Be In Our Primary Interest

By Gabrielle Giffords  
Arizona Republic Op-Ed

Arizona law requires that every front-seat occupant of a motor vehicle wear a properly fastened seat belt. However, the enforcement of that law is something being debated in Arizona and 28 other states in which law enforcement officers are not allowed to stop and ticket drivers not wearing seat belts.

Last year I sponsored a bill to strengthen Arizona’s current seat belt law by upgrading seat belt penalties from a secondary to a primary violation. I believe a tougher seat belt law in Arizona is more likely to save people’s lives than possibly any other piece of legislation we consider.

The case for a Primary Seat Belt Law is clear. First and foremost, it is a health and safety issue. In 2001, we lost 1,064 people, including 172 under age 19. In 2002, Arizona suffered 1,119 deaths on our roads. Sadly, among these deaths, 446 people were not using a safety restraint.

Second, the economic costs are growing. As we continue to address the health care crisis in Arizona we must find ways to relieve the unnecessary burden shouldered by emergency rooms across the state. In many of these crashes the motorists and passengers not using a seat belts sustained more serious injuries. As a result they stretch the already limited resources of our emergency rooms.

Additionally, the economic costs of death and injury impose a significant economic burden on law-abiding, responsible drivers.

Nationally, Medicare and Medicaid pay more than a quarter, or $3.7 billion, of the nearly $14 billion in health care costs associated with motor vehicle crashes. Billions more are paid by all of us each year through higher auto insurance rates.

Third, there is potential for Arizona to receive additional federal dollars to address more issues of highway safety. In the current proposed legislation submitted to Congress by the Bush administration, there is an incentive for each state to reach a 90 percent seat belt usage rate.

If a state achieves a seat belt usage rate of 90 percent or better, that state would be eligible for a one-time increase in its state highway funding. In Arizona, that could translate into $12.5 million. This additional money could be used to sustain the paid media campaigns, increase overtime enforcement for speeding and aggressive drivers, DUI enforcement, and to help address the serious issue of lagging emergency medical response times.

Due to the undisputed fact that seat belts save passengers’ lives and reduce injury on our roadways, last session there were numerous individuals and organizations in favor of the Primary Seat Belt legislation. However, even with the support of the law enforcement community and the emergency medical services community, emergency room doctors, emergency room nurses and highway safety advocates, the bill did not make it out of the Senate.

In the early summer months, the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety embarked on a new paid media campaign - “Click It or Ticket” - in concert with its traditional high visibility enforcement efforts. It was difficult to predict how successful this campaign would be; however, they knew that a different approach in Arizona needed to be taken.

Arizona’s seat belt usage rate from 2000 to 2002 was stagnant at 74 percent. Would this new and ambitious approach from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety be effective in increasing seat belt usage? After a few short months, the results have been extremely positive.

Just this week the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that Arizona had an increase in its seat belt usage rate of 12 percent, the second-largest in the nation. We should applaud the Office of Highway Safety’s efforts to think creatively. Its success has immediately improved the safety of Arizona’s highways, roadways and streets.

The Office of Highway Safety’s goal is a 90 percent or better seat belt usage rate for Arizona. We could be assured of reaching that goal, and likely exceed it, if the Legislature would follow the 20 other states and pass a Primary Seat Belt Law.

I believe most Arizonans would agree that saving lives with seat belts is at least as important as making the enforcement of them commensurate with properly operating headlights and taillights, current vehicle registration and properly secured cargo.

Next year the Legislature will once again debate the merits of a Primary Seat Belt Law. It has been said there is no greater act for a legislator than to save the life of an anonymous individual.

If we choose not to pass this legislation next year, we will miss yet another opportunity to protect and save the lives of the people we were elected to represent.