September 8, 2010 in News, Idaho

Kootenai County to enforce seat belt rules starting Friday

Kootenai County Sheriff’s deputies will conduct seat-belt emphasis patrols starting Friday and continuing through Sept. 20.

They will stop drivers for moving violations and ticket those who are not using a seat belt. The patrols will be conducted across the county as a way to reduce the number of injury accidents in Kootenai County.

Sponsoring the patrol are the Idaho’s Office of Highway Operations and Safety.

Kootenai County’s 2009 compliance rate for seat belts was 82 percent, based on observational studies and post-accident reports, the Idaho Transportation Dept. reported on its website. The state average was 79 percent.

A press release notes that of all fatality accidents in 2008, only one percent of drivers or passengers wearing seat belts were ejected from their vehicles.

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Six comments on this story so far. Add yours!

TOOBAD2 on September 08 at 3:02 p.m.
for thoes with a death wish , don’t comply
chouligirl on September 08 at 5:27 p.m.
Here we go again. This is a common sense thing and not something that should be a law.
Regardless of the police & legislator’s desire to save me from myself, it is my choice, my risk and my decision. Period.
Why is this a law?? The insurance company doesn’t care about you or your well being, they only care about (their) dollars…the dollars it MIGHT cost if someone is hurt in an accident.
AND if seat belts are everything good and holy in the world, then please give me a real logical reason WHY KIDS IN SCHOOL BUSES AREN’T REQUIRED TO HAVE SEAT BELTS??? How screwed up is this theory?!! Children are not required to wear seatbelts while in a school bus, but in their parent’s car they are required. All children should have to wear seatbelts all the time in any vehicle, school or otherwise.
So is the reason school buses are exempt is that we don’t want to pay to retro-fit the buses? Bogus reason. Give me a break! When school buses require seat belts I’ll take the seat belt laws more seriously. Sheesh!!
And I thought Idaho had a law that you could ONLY be stopped regarding seat belts if you were being stopped for another infraction. When did that law change? Or do the police make the rules up as they go…in the interest of my safety, of course! And then again, any old reason can be made up to stop you to address the seat belt issue. This will be a non-stop month for harassment…
monkeyman on September 08 at 6:50 p.m.
I agree with the above poster. It should be personal choice.
p.s. Why mess with an almost perfect method for natural selection… the only possible issue I can see is that they become a cannonball during a collision and injure another person in the process.
…and over time a possible bonus is that the insurance rates might go down for the rest of us who are left :)
misjustice on September 08 at 9:03 p.m.
@chouligirl; from the above article, which I assume that you read…”They will stop drivers for moving violations and ticket those who are not using a seat belt.”
This means it is still a secondary offense, not a primary one. But don’t let that stop your rant, I was enjoying it! ; )
lewis8457 on September 08 at 11:15 p.m.
I think chouligirl hit with the school bus rant. the school buses have no padding just steel railings and cushioned seats. why is it OK for kids to be in school bus unstrapped in? and the little ones the police sit at schools waiting for the mom to get there without all the kids in the proper kiddie seats where are they on a bus? Do they really care nope it all has to do with the all mighty buck!
I feel safer dont you?
misjustice on September 09 at 10:43 a.m.
“In 1999, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) examined the effect of seat belt installation in buses. They came to the conclusion that seat belts actually would result in head injuries and fatalities. In fact, the NTSB found a relationship between most injuries/deaths and the seating position of the passenger. In these cases, the presence of seat belts would change nothing.”
“While there is no evidence proving that seat belts on buses save lives, there is reason to worry they MAY CAUSE HARM. During an emergency, seat belts could hinder young children from quickly exiting the bus; they simply could not free themselves. Drivers would be hard pressed to monitor belt usage for every student. And the heavy buckles could be used as weapons.”
“Studies by federal agencies, including the NTSB, have shown bus construction and compartmentalization provides greater safety than seat belts ever could. Comparing the design of a school bus to a car is like comparing apples to oranges. Where belts protect passengers during car collisions, their presence may cause severe injuries on a bus. Seatbelts are only required on small buses weighing less than 10,000 pounds because their design more closely resembles a car. It is ironic, but the reality is that seat belts have no place on most school buses.”

http://www.wikilaw3k.org/forum/Cars-Transportation-Safety/Why-aren-39-t-there-seat-belts-on-school-buses-355293.htm