Troopers say seat belts are a matter of life or death

Credit: By Richelle Bailey

Trooper Everette Reid said this driver had an expired tag but was wearing a seat belt.

By: Richelle Bailey | McDowell News
Published: November 15, 2009

Bruising vs. death.
Seat belt vs. no seat belt.
It's a correlation state troopers are trying to make drivers understand.
"If a car is going 80 mph, your body is going 80 mph," said Trooper Everette Reid. "If the car comes to a sudden stop, how fast is your body going?"
"It would still be going 80 mph," was my answer.
"It would still be going 80 mph until something stopped it," Reid stated. "Would you want that to be a seat belt or the windshield?"
That's a conversation we recently had while I was riding on patrol with Reid. That conversation drove home the point more than anything else he said.
First Sgt. Stuart Mitchell is new in town. He supervises this N.C. Highway Patrol district, which includes McDowell and Rutherford counties.
He's big on seat belts – for good reason. He's been taking note that a lot of motorists in the two counties don't buckle up. He's also noticed that a lot of the district's fatal wrecks involve people being thrown from vehicles, meaning they weren't wearing their seat belts.
"Seat belts save lives," said Mitchell. "Not wearing your seat belt does not cause you to wreck. Speeding, reckless driving, things like that cause wrecks. Not wearing your seat belt causes you to get injured."
Around the first of October, troopers in both counties had written 1,955 seat belt and 181 child restraint tickets. That compares to 2,540 seat belt and 222 child restraint violations in all of 2008.
Reid said he's heard motorists say that them not wearing seat belts isn't hurting anyone else.
"The law was decided for your safety, just like speed laws and reckless driving laws," he stated. "Our job is to keep the roads safe and reduce injuries and fatalities. We enforce the seat belt law for the same reason we enforce DWI and speed laws."
The ride-along with Reid proved to be informative – and productive.
It took less than five minutes once he began patrolling to find an unbuckled driver. The man told him he knew why Reid was stopping him. He drove away with his belt on -- and with a ticket.
After responding to various calls and stopping vehicles for other violations, we picked a spot on U.S. 70 West at Greenlee Road, stopped and watched passing motorists.
Most were buckled up that day. It took about 10 minutes before spotting one who wasn't.
"She said she had just pulled out of her driveway and was getting ready to put it on," said Reid after he issued her a written warning. "I hear that all the time, along with 'I was just going a couple of miles down the road.'"
He stopped others for different violations that day but found them to be buckled up.
"Hopefully the tickets I write today will remind people to wear their seat belts," the trooper stated. "Hopefully if they are involved in a wreck tomorrow they will have it on."
Because, once again, being involved in a wreck and having your belt on is going to cause some bruising. But being involved in a wreck and not having your belt on is going to cause injury or death.
"Seat belts and airbags prevent serious injuries," said Reid. "The odds are in your favor to wear it. If the law did not exist, I know we would have more serious injuries and fatalities."
Mitchell reminds motorists that, when the seat belt law first went into effect, a violation cost $25. It is now up to $126.

Troopers say seat belts are a matter of life or death

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