U.S. Armed Forces Join Largest Seat Belt Crackdown in U.S. History

WASHINGTON, Nov. 25, 2002; As Americans rely on the U.S. military more than ever to protect them, the greatest danger military personnel themselves face is motor vehicle crashes. That's why the armed forces are joining more than 12,000 law enforcement agencies in a nationwide crackdown against seat belt violators. The enforcement blitz comes as new data show that more young men and women in uniform are killed in traffic crashes than in combat or training combined. The Operation ABC Mobilization starts today and continues through the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

"With more than 12,000 law enforcement agencies blanketing roads, and U.S. military bases around the world cracking down on seat belt violations, seat belt laws are being enforced. That's why now, more than ever before, not buckling up is likely to cost you a hefty fine. Sadly and more important, not buckling up could cost you your life," said National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Administrator Jeffrey W. Runge, M.D., who is an emergency physician. "We must do everything we can to prevent these senseless tragedies on the road."

Vehicle crash deaths among military personnel on and off base are up 35 percent from last year -- the highest fatality rate for military personnel in the last four years. More than 320 military personnel across all services lost their lives in traffic crashes this year alone. Tragically, nearly half of those young servicemen and women who failed to wear seat belts could have survived if they had buckled up. Military personnel by virtue of age and gender typically epitomize high-risk drivers and low belt users: males ages 18-25.

"We are losing more young men and women in traffic crashes than in combat and training combined," said U.S. Marine Corps Commandant General James Jones. "We don't leave our young servicemen and women on the battlefield and we shouldn't leave them on the highway either." Faced with a particularly high death rate compared to the other services, the Marines Corps has taken the lead in cracking down on seat belt violators.

In addition, recently enacted Department of Defense funding legislation strongly encouraged the Secretary of Defense to "direct all services to join the Marine Corps in actively participating in the Mobilization and other similar seat belt usage efforts throughout the year."

During the Mobilization, law enforcement officers will intensify enforcement of seat belt and child passenger safety laws by setting up checkpoints or saturation patrols. Seat belt violators and drivers failing to restrain their child passengers will be ticketed.

"Strong laws and strict enforcement of those laws are the only proven ways to get significant increases in belt use," said Carol Carmody, Acting Chair of the National Transportation Safety Board. "Seat belt use in states that conduct high visibility enforcement is 10 to 15 percentage points higher than in states that simply conduct public education."

High visibility enforcement relies on periods of intense enforcement of seat belt laws coupled with aggressive communications to let people know about the enforcement. For many non-seat belt users, and especially young people, the threat of a ticket has proven to be a more effective inducement to buckle up than the threat of injury or death. According to NHTSA, if every state conducted high visibility enforcement, 5,000 to 7,000 lives could be saved each year.

Teens will continue to be a key target of the Mobilization as well. Fatality rates for teens are twice that of older drivers, and the risk of crashes for teens is four times that of older drivers. This year, approximately 9,000 Americans, adults and children, will die in crashes simply because they failed to buckle their seat belts.

In an effort to encourage belt use among teens, many states are reaching out to high school principals to make announcements about stepped-up enforcement efforts throughout Thanksgiving week urging students to buckle up and avoid a ticket. In addition, nearly 400 college and university police departments with a combined student population of more than 4 million have signed on to the Mobilization.

"While the armed forces do everything they can to protect families from the unpredictable threat of terrorism, we must continue to address the most predictable and leading risk our families and military face every day -- traffic crashes," said Chuck Hurley, executive director of the Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign and a Vice President at the National Safety Council. "The fact that our armed forces are not immune to these preventable tragedies is cause enough to make seat belt enforcement a national priority. We are honored to be working with them," said Hurley, who previously served as a naval officer.

Thanksgiving is one of the most dangerous holidays for motorists. The National Safety Council predicts that 575 people will die and 30,500 people will suffer disabling injuries resulting from traffic crashes during the Thanksgiving holiday period.

The Mobilization is conducted twice yearly by the Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign of the National Safety Council in conjunction with law enforcement agencies, state highway safety offices, NHTSA and the NTSB. The Mobilization is also part of Buckle Up America, an ongoing NHTSA initiative to increase belt use and save lives.

Law enforcement officers participate in the Mobilizations because they save lives. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) reported recently that child fatalities from traffic crashes have declined by 20 percent since 1997, when the Mobilizations began, and more than 39 million more Americans are buckling up. The DOT has credited the Mobilizations for significantly contributing to this decline and for dramatically increasing adult and child restraint use.