PRESS RELEASE
Illinois Auto Safety Coalition Announces State Bill to Strengthen Seat Belt Laws
19 March 1997
Bill to Strengthen Weak Safety Belt Law Passed by House Committee
Law Enforcement, Medical Professionals, Citizen Activists Join Illinois
Legislators in Support of Measure to Save Lives
SPRINGFIELD, Ill., March 18 -- House Bill 1610 was heard
today by the Illinois House committee on children and youth that, if made into
law, will save the lives of Illinois motorists and result in tens of millions
of dollars in economic savings. The bill passed almost unanimously out of the
committee.
Representatives Barbara Flynn Currie (D-Chicago), and Mark Beaubien
(R-Wauconda), the primary sponsors of H.B. 1610, testified in favor of
legislation creating a standard safety belt law in Illinois. This means that
law enforcement officials would be able to stop and cite drivers for failing
to buckle up or to buckle up the car's passengers. Currently, Illinois
operates under a secondary safety belt law, where drivers can only be cited if
they are stopped on another motor vehicle violation.
In attendance at the hearing today were members of the Illinois Coalition
for Auto Passenger Safety (ICAPS), a group of safety leaders, medical experts,
law enforcement officers, business leaders and concerned citizens, who have
joined forces to strongly support this legislation.
"It's already the law in Illinois that folks in the front seat must buckle
up. We have seen seat belt usage decline only because we do not have primary
enforcement. Primary enforcement will increase the number of people who obey
the law of the land. This has to be good for the health of our people and for
the cost of our health care system," testified Representative Currie.
"As police officers, we are the ones who too frequently see the tragic
results when motorists fail to buckle up," said Illinois State Police Director
Terrance W. Gainer in his testimony to the committee. "This bill puts failure
to use seat belts in the same category as other hazardous driving practices.
Our ability to stop and cite drivers who don't buckle up is key to educating
them about the dangers they and their passengers face when they don't use
their seat belts."
In introducing Melinda Muller and Danny Hicks, two paraplegic young people
who have been advocates for stronger safety belt laws, Mary Kay Griffin, R.N.,
M.S., injury control coordinator for the Southern Illinois University School
of Medicine, said, "Danny and Melinda have several things in common. Both are
the survivors of motor vehicle crashes. Both of them were not wearing seat
belts at the time of the crashes. Both were thrown out of their vehicles like
missiles. Both broke their backs when their bodies hit the tree and the
pavement. Both have permanent disability as a result of these crashes. Both
have said, 'I never thought this would happen to me.'
"Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among those ages
1-44 in Illinois. Motor vehicle crashes are also the leading cause of spinal
cord injuries. A major contributing factor found over and over again in these
fatalities and injuries is: no seat belt or improper use of the seat belt or
child restraint," said Griffin.
"Injuries which result in permanent disability are personally as well as
financially devastating. These are economic disasters to the injured persons
and their families. Primary insurance too often runs out and public funds are
then responsible for the monumental costs. Average yearly health care and
living expenses that are directly attributable to spinal cord injuries, for
example, vary greatly according to severity of injury," continued Griffin.
"However, statistics show that an average cost of one spinal cord injured
person during the first year following the injury is nearly $200,000 and
medical costs thereafter, for the rest of their lives are approximately
$25,000 each year. Lifetime costs included such things as lost wages, lost
fringe benefits, and other indirect costs. With each spinal cord injury that
occurs, lifetime costs average between one half to one million dollars."
Underscoring the need for better protection for the people of Illinois,
Representative Mark Beaubien emphasized, "This is a simple matter of consumer
protection. Unbelted motorists and drivers are costing the people of this
state too much money. And even more seriously, we are currently not doing
enough to protect our youngest and most vulnerable citizens. We must do what
most other developed countries in the world do -- require that children under
the age of 12 be properly positioned in the back seat of passenger cars."
Statistics show that states which have a standard enforcement law on the
books have a 77% usage rate compared to a 63% usage rate for states with
secondary enforcement laws. This increase is due in large part to a
heightened awareness of the law and the deterrence the law provides, according
to experts from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Their
data show that primary enforcement law would have a significant impact in
Illinois.
"Illinois currently has a safety belt usage rate of 64%. If that usage
rate increased to only 74%, we would save 70 lives, prevent 2,423 serious
injuries and save 138 million dollars in hospital and rehabilitation costs,"
Representative Currie explained.
"The drop in safety belt use by Illinois residents seems to follow a
national trend of decreasing belt use in states, like Illinois, with weak
safety belt laws. Because data show that standard enforcement increases
safety belt usage by at least 10 percentage points, we believe that it is
critically important that Illinois enact this type of law," added
Representative Currie.
SOURCE Illinois Coalition for Auto Passenger Safety
CONTACT: Mary Beth Berkoff of The Dilenschneider Group, Inc., 312-553-0700
