HARRISBURG – More Pennsylvanians than ever before are recognizing the life-saving effect a seat belt can have and they are buckling up when they get in a vehicle.
PennDOT announced today the 2007 seat belt rate has hit 86.7 percent, which is an increase over the previous high of 86.3 percent reported in 2006. Pennsylvania started tracking seat belt use in 1988.
“We are extremely pleased to see how many Pennsylvanians are buckling up,” said PennDOT Secretary Allen D. Biehler, P.E. “We have all heard the stories of seat belts saving lives in crashes. We hope that fact will motivate more people to wear their seat belts and make sure loved ones are buckled up each time they get in a vehicle.”
PennDOT estimates that with every percentage-point increase in seat belt use, eight to 12 lives will be saved. In 2006, 611 people lost their lives on Pennsylvania highways because they were not properly belted.
In an effort to reduce the number of lives lost, PennDOT invested more than $1.7 million in seat belt enforcement this year. Pennsylvania State and local police conducted enforcement activities in May as part of “Click It or Ticket,” under which unbelted drivers who were stopped and cited for a traffic violation received a second citation for failure to wear a seat belt.
Under Pennsylvania law, all front seat passengers are required to buckle up. Failure to comply with the seat belt law can result in a penalty of $60, including the fine and other costs.
PennDOT reminds motorists that children ages 4 to 8 must be restrained in an appropriate booster seat when riding anywhere in a motor vehicle. In addition, children ages 8 to 18 must be in a seat belt when riding anywhere in the vehicle. Both of these laws are secondary, which means drivers can be ticketed only when cited for another traffic violation such as speeding.
The state’s primary child passenger safety law states that children under the age of four must be properly restrained in an approved child safety seat anywhere in the vehicle. The fine for non-use of child safety and booster seats is a maximum of $100 in addition to other costs.