Sheriff: Buckle up for every trip

The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office is joining in a national effort to reach all Thanksgiving travelers with one important message: “Buckle up.”

According to Sheriff Ben Wolfinger, deputies will be conducting extra patrols to ensure the public’s safety.

Wolfinger shared some statistics about seat belt use in the Gem State.

Idaho’s observed safety restraint use rate declined slightly from 81.6 percent in 2013 to 80.2 percent in 2014. While the observed seat belt use rate was 80 percent, only 44 percent of the motor vehicle occupants killed in crashes were wearing seat belts. If everyone had been wearing seat belts, 34 of the 67 unbelted motor vehicle occupants may have been saved.

Historically, Thanksgiving is the busiest travel time of the year, putting more people on the road, and unfortunately increasing the likelihood of crashes. Each year in our country, tens of thousands of passenger vehicle occupants die in motor vehicle crashes. In 2013, more than 300 people were killed in crashes on Thanksgiving weekend alone.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates proper seat belt use reduces the risk of fatal injury to front seat passengers by 45 percent, and the risk of moderate to serious injury by 50 percent. In 2013, approximately 12,584 people survived crashes because they were buckled up. If everyone had worn their seat belts that year, an additional 2,800 lives could have been saved.

“So this Thanksgiving, and every day of the year, make sure your seat belt is buckled before you start any road trip, whether it’s 1 mile or 1,000,” stated the sheriff’s announcement of the initiative.