BTS Survey Finds That Most Americans Support Enforcement of Seat Belt Laws
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David Smallen
202-366-5568
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Wednesday, January 3, 2001 -- Most Americans support police enforcement of seat belt laws, according to a Bureau of
Transportation Statistics (BTS) survey released today by U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney E.
Slater.
"Safety is President Clinton and Vice President Gore's highest transportation priority, and the
best defense against injury in a car crash is buckling up," Secretary Slater said. "Enforcement is getting
America's attention with seat belt use at an all-time high and traffic deaths at an all- time low."
The survey by BTS, an agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), reported that
90 percent of the people questioned agreed or strongly agreed that it is important for police to enforce
the seat belt laws. The random survey of 1,000 households has a margin of error of two percentage
points.
The BTS Omnibus Survey collects information monthly from randomly selected households
about the transportation system, how it is used, and how it is viewed. It is intended to determine the
general public's satisfaction with the nation's transportation system and to help set priorities for
improvements. Results from the latest survey as well as earlier surveys are available on the BTS website
at www.bts.gov.
According to DOT's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), seat belts
reduce the risk of fatal injury by 45 percent and reduce the risk of serious injury by 50 percent, yet
nearly one-third of all Americans still do not buckle up.
In October, Secretary Slater announced that 36 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto
Rico will share $47.3 million in incentive grants for increasing seat belt use. Fiscal Year 2001
is the third year that incentive grants have been awarded for increasing seat belt use rates.
Forty-nine states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico now have seat belt use laws, and
just over one-third provide for standard enforcement procedures. Standard enforcement allows a
police officer to stop a vehicle and issue a citation when the officer observes an unbelted driver or
passenger.
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