Safe buckling
(One in a series of editorials about America's car culture.)
MASSACHUSETTS DRIVERS have an aversion to seat belts that is as odd as it is dangerous. Compliance is just 64.8 percent here, compared with a US average of 82 percent, according to data released last fall by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Only Mississippi drivers, at 60.8 percent, use seat belts less. The Legislature should help raise the state's rate -- and prevent deaths and serious injuries -- by strengthening the seat belt law.
Currently, 27 states have weak laws. In Massachusetts, police officers can cite a driver for not using a seat belt only if they have stopped the car for another offense, such as speeding. A bill up for House action this month would make failure to be buckled up a primary infraction, with police authorized to stop drivers for that reason alone. Under both the bill and existing law, the offense carries a $25 fine; it does not affect car insurance rates.
In 2001 and 2003, efforts to pass such a bill failed on rare tie votes in the House. A stronger law would allow Massachusetts over the next four years to share in $498 million in federal transportation grants reserved for states that have tough laws or seat belt compliance of at least 85 percent for two years.
The best reason to make failure to use a seat belt a primary offense, though, is to save lives. Traffic congestion and lower average speeds in Massachusetts already contribute to a lower-than-average fatality rate, but NHTSA estimates that a tougher law would prevent an additional 23 deaths and 900 injuries in this state each year. In 2002, 59 percent of fatal accident victims were not using either seat belts or child safety seats, according to NHTSA. Safety experts say seat belts are crucial in many situations other than the head-on accidents for which most air bags provide protection. ''You need multiple approaches to save lives," says Representative Ruth Balser of Newton, a cosponsor of the bill.
Some fear that allowing police to stop drivers for failing to buckle up will lead to increased racial profiling of minority drivers. The problem is real in Massachusetts, as confirmed by a 2004 Northeastern University study done at the behest of the Legislature. But it is questionable whether creating one new infraction will lead to a spike in profiling. In 2003, after Michigan enacted a strong seat belt law, it did a study showing that the law did not lead to more racially disparate violations or claims of harassment.
Racial profiling is a problem communities should address whatever the laws on the books. A stronger seat belt statute will make Massachusetts roads significantly safer. 