Most important traffic law in Olympia is about seat belts

John Lovick

For years, my cousin Greg refused to wear a seat belt.

Every time we visited one another, we would bicker over the issue. I told him stories of horrifying traffic accidents where individuals died because they failed to take a moment to buckle up. I told him of the many times I had to contact parents to inform them how their children had died, knowing that all of this pain could have been avoided.

Still, Greg, who lived in Houston, Texas, would not wear a seat belt.

Then, one day all this changed.

You are probably expecting to hear a horror story now — fortunately, no such incident occurred. A couple of summers ago I went to visit Greg and was pleased to see that he had finally started wearing a seat belt — because a law had passed in Texas authorizing law enforcement officers to pull over motorists for seat belt violations.

And, though Greg doesn’t believe it, this law may someday save his life.

Since 1986, use of seat belts has been required by law in Washington state. This law has been extremely effective, increasing seat belt use from 36 percent of motorists to 82 percent.

The result has been a reduction by nearly half in the number of deaths caused by traffic accidents in relation to vehicle miles traveled. This measure could decline even further as national studies show that seat belt use results in 50 to 70 percent fewer deaths and serious injuries from traffic accidents.

Still, under current law, law enforcement officers only have the authority to stop motorists for not wearing a seat belt if the driver has committed another infraction. I am proposing legislation that would expand the authority of law enforcement officers by allowing them to pull motorists over simply for failing to wear a seatbelt. This proposal would give people the incentive to buckle up and, in the process, save many lives.

The bill would also benefit taxpayers by reducing public health costs. Public health costs for auto accidents are extremely high as police, emergency medical personnel, hospital staff and many other public employees are involved in the emergency response effort. According to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, if seat belt use reached 90 percent, the state would save $8 million annually.

Additionally, if the law went into effect, drivers would likely benefit from lower overall auto insurance rates. Sid Morrison, former Secretary of Transportation and currently a representative of the National Safety Council, recently suggested that this legislation would reduce auto insurance rates by cutting the medical bills that insurance companies must pay when a serious accident occurs.

I must admit that I was originally hesitant about supporting this legislation because I feared that it might be used as a tool to target racial minorities. In fact, though, several research organizations including the historically-black Meharry Medical Institute and the National Conference of Black Legislators have found that African-Americans in states with such laws report no increase in traffic stops or even fewer stops by police than African-Americans in other states.

And while concerns about racial profiling should continue to be raised and examined, it is important to recognize that failure to wear seat belts is a particularly serious problem among African-Americans, especially children. Indeed, traffic accidents are the leading cause of death among African-American children and young adults up to age 24.

Because of this, many public health officials and African-American leaders, including the Congressional Black Caucus, endorse seat belt laws as a primary enforcement action. These groups are confident that the proposed law will reduce traffic deaths without leading to an increase in racial profiling.

Seat belt laws are controversial. Some people see them as a violation of one’s freedom. But the fact is that seat belts save lives.

In this time when we are debating the future of our state’s transportation system, we cannot ignore the issue of safety. John Moffat, Director of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, testifying in support of this bill noted, "This is the most important traffic law (before the Legislature) this year."

Let’s get more folks like my cousin Greg to buckle up — it’s a matter of life and death.

Rep. John Lovick (D-Mill Creek), a sergeant and 28-year veteran of the Washington State Patrol, is the prime sponsor of House Bill 1460, authorizing law enforcement officers to stop motorists for failing to wear seat belts. He represents the 44th Legislative District of south Snohomish County including Mill Creek and parts of Everett, Bothell, and Lynnwood.