SAFETY TOPIC: SEATBELTS
Delaware's State wide set belt usage rate is 84%, its highest ever- and higher than the National rate of 82%!
Still, 1 out of every 6 Delawareans fails to buckle up consistently.
Delaware's Seatbelt Law
Seat belt use is required for drivers and passengers in all seating positions both back and front in vehicles. A driver can be pulled over if an officer sees any person in the vehice who is not buckled up. Fines for violators are $25.00 plus $15.00 in court processing fees for a total fine of $40.00.
Buckle Up Stencil Project !!
Want an easy way to promote safety in your organization or business? Join the Buckle Up Stencil project. On September 13, 2004 the Office of Highway Safety announced this new awareness initiative that's fast, easy, and free to anyone who is interested.
The Buckle Up Stencil is an image of two hands clicking a seat belt together with the words Buckle Up underneath. A template is used to spray paint the image on the pavement exit of a school, business, state, county or municipal agency. The goal is to remind those leaving your parking lots to put their seat belts on!
We provide the stencil and paint, if possible, you provide the volunteers to do the painting. It takes about 15 minutes to paint a stencil and 15 more to dry.
If you are interested in promoting this safety project in your organization...contact one of our Community Traffic Safety Program Coordinators. In NcCo call Cindy Genau at 302-831-4973, and in Kent or Sussex contact Mike Love at 302-856-7303.
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DELAWARE'S SEATBELT
FACTS
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In 2005, 100 people died as drivers or passengers in crashes on Delaware roadways. 59 of them(59%) were not wearing seat belts. |
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Wearing a seatbelt cuts your risk of being killed or seriously injured in a crash in half.. |
| As many as 30 people each year for the last decade could have survived Delaware car crashes if they had buckled up, based on these estimates. That translates into 300 preventable deaths in our state since 1992. |
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Delaware's current seatbelt usage rate is 84%, and is higher than the current national rate of 82%. |
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21 states and the District of Columbia have standard enforcement, or primary, seatbelt laws.In December, South Carolina will become the 22nd primary seat belt state. States with primary belt laws see an average increase in their seat belt usage rate of 11%, and see their fatalities go down. |
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In 2005, motor vehicle fatalities and injuries occured nearly twice as often as murders and violent crimes in delaware (DE State Police Annual Traffic Report 2005). |
| | In 2003, motor vehicle fatalities and injuries occurred nearly twice as often as murders and violent crimes in Delaware (DE State Police Annual Traffic Report 2003). |
| | An analysis of Delaware crash data in 2000 revealed that unbelted occupants in crashes are 3 times more likely to require inpatient hospitalization, and that hospital costs are approximately $2,000.00 higher for these individuals than for those who are wearing a safety belt. (Delaware CODES Project) |
| | Strong seatbelt laws protect families. In Delaware, when parents are buckled up, 90% of the time, children are too. However, when adults don't wear seatbelts, child restraint use drops to just 59%. |
OHS Efforts to Increase Seatbelt Use
Delaware's Click It or Ticket Campaign - For more information on this highly successful public awareness and enforcement initiative, click on the following link Click It or Ticket home page
New Castle County PD Student "Buckle Up" Competition and Awards Program - New Castle County Police Officer Amy Kevis, organizes this annual buckle up competition among New Castle County High Schools. The goal is to increase the number of teenagers wearing seatbelts in order to decrease the number of motor vehicle fatalities among teenage motorists. The competition involves pre and post campaign seatbelt surveys conducted by NcCo Police and the implementation of seatbelt public awareness activities by the participating high school. Examples of activities include the distribution of seatbelt safety literature and materials, seatbelt safety awareness presentations to the student body, and reading seatbelt safety public service messages during the morning announcements. To see pictures from the 2002 Student "Buckle Up" Competition Awards Presentation, click on the link in Yellow.
Seatbelt Sign Projects - Beginning in late January 2000, seatbelt use in fatal crashes was added to the electronic fatal sign board at DSP Troop 5, and can also be seen on the fatal stats board in front of DSP Headquarters.
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Seatbelt Survivor Stories - OHS is identifying motor vehicle occupants who were saved from death or more serious injury because they were wearing their seatbelts. Those people willing to share their stories with others are writing letters to the editor, and appearing on local radio talk shows.
Seatbelt Surveys - Office of Highway Safety staff members and our highway safety supporters conduct seatbelt surveys throughout the state of Delaware annually. Our first statistically valid survey was conducted in 1998. Our current seatbelt usage rate is 82%.
Presentations/video resources/costumed characters - Office of Highway Safety staff members offer presentations on seatbelt and child restraint use, as well as information on air bag safety. OHS also has a video loan library for use by the general public. Videos in reference to seatbelt use are available for various age groups, as well as the community at large. Costumed characters Vince and Larry the Crash Test Dummies, and Buckle Bear are available through OHS for loan purposes. Individuals must call ahead at (302) 744-2740 to reserve the costumes. OHS does not provide volunteers to wear the outfits.
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