Arizona leads the nation in
seat-belt use, according to a federal survey, news that means
fewer injuries and deaths on the road and possibly lower insurance rates,
according to one state official.
Surveys conducted by states and analyzed by the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration show 95.3 percent of Arizonans buckled up in 2004, up
9.1 percentage points from last year.
"We are reaching into the communities to educate citizens that seat belts
are important and they do save lives," said Richard Fimbres, director of the
Governor's Office of Highway Safety. "I think the credit goes to the good
citizens of Arizona who have paid attention to the message and are heeding
it and taking precautions."
Fimbres also credits a 2-year-old media campaign, and
strong support from law enforcement, the media and community organizations
for helping to get out the message. He said the increase in seat-belt usage
means fewer and less-severe injuries and fewer fatalities from car crashes.
This helps lower emergency-room costs, lost work time and insurance rates.
The high-profile TV and radio campaign, called "Click It or Ticket It," is
modeled after a North Carolina program from the mid-'90s. The safety agency
adopted it as a federal model and provided funding for several states.
Arizona received a total of $300,000 in the past two years and aired spots
in English, Spanish and Navajo in prime time before Memorial Day. The
promotion focused on seat-belt and child-safety restraints and was followed
by weeks of heightened enforcement by law enforcement agencies.
"You can reach folks through them paying attention to the television during
novelas, Diamondback games or during MTV," Fimbres said. "We are trying to
reach those who never watch the news or read the newspaper."
The difference in Arizona is that the Governor's Office of Highway Safety
adopted the complete "Click It or Ticket It," model, rather than just parts
of it as other states did, said David Manning, regional administrator for
the Western region of the safety agency.
From 2002 to 2003, injuries from car crashes dropped in Arizona to 71,901
from 74,235, according to the Governor's Office. And fewer people have died
in traffic collisions, with 1,132 in 2002 and 1,118 in 2003.
James Frederikson, executive director for the Arizona Insurance Information
Association, said the survey results bode well for drivers, but he couldn't
guarantee it would mean more money in their pockets.
"The fact that people are wearing seat belts will reduce injuries, and it
will reduce fatalities, and . . . that has a positive impact on the amount
of payments insurers make on injury claims," he said. "I can't say for sure
rates will go down. . . . I'm sure every insurance company is delighted to
hear that information, and it is good for insurance consumers as well."
Fimbres is pleased with Arizona's gains but said to maintain the numbers,
the state needs to adopt a primary seat-belt law.
Currently, Arizona has a secondary seat-belt law, which allows an officer
to cite a driver for not wearing a seat belt only after the driver has been
pulled over for another violation. Under a primary law, officers can stop
and cite a driver just for not wearing a seat belt.
Fimbres said primary seat-belt bills introduced in the Legislature recently
have been shot down. Currently, 28 states have some form of primary
seat-belt law. Arizona and Nevada are the only two Western states without
them.
For the first time, Arizona and Hawaii, which came in a close second with
95.1 percent, are the only two states ever to reach 95 percent seat-belt
use. Washington, which came in first nationally last year, was third with
94.2, and Oregon landed fourth place with 92.6. Three of the top four states
have primary seat-belt laws.
The national average for seat-belt use is at 80 percent,
an all-time high, according to the highway safety agency.
"I always wear my seat belt," said Dave Grabe, 48, of Mesa, who said he
doesn't like the idea of a primary seat-belt law. "Just freedom. It is a
free country."
Arizona State University student Jill Ferreira, 20, of Mesa, said she thinks
the "Click It or Ticket It" campaign was effective. "I think it was good
way, especially if you are passing by a cop. You will remember and think,
'I'd better put my seat belt on,' " added Ferreira, who said she would
support a primary seat-belt law if it helped keep people buckling up. "I've
never been worried about being stopped, but you think about it more now."
States with the lowest seat-belt safety usage include Mississippi with 63.2
percent; Massachusetts with 63.3; Arkansas with 64.2; South Carolina with
65.7; and Kentucky with 66 percent.
The national seat-belt-use estimates are based on the National Occupant
Protection Use Survey conducted annually by the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration. Each state conducts its own seat-belt survey,
typically in June, where observers monitor traffic for usage.
The CSI Santa Rita Research Center in Tucson, which has been tracking
seat-belt use in Arizona for six years, conducted the 2004 survey.
* Written by Senta Scarborough for
The Arizona Republic, 11-23-04.