The most chilling phrase in a traffic accident report is the notation that a fatality occurred because an occupant was "ejected" from the vehicle. That usually means they were not wearing a seatbelt.
Vivid proof of the lifesaving virtues of seatbelts was demonstrated last week when 10 occupants of a Mountain Rides van and five occupants of a small sedan survived a potentially lethal collision at the Timmerman Junction of U.S. Highway 20 and state Highway 75.
Occupants in both vehicles were wearing seatbelts. This example, plus a growing body of national statistics, attests to the survivability of accidents when seatbelts are in use.
According to National Highway Transportation Safety Administration figures, the national rate of seatbelt use rose from about 60 percent in 1994 to 83 percent in 2008, with drivers and passengers in the Western states averaging 93 percent.
During the same time, the auto occupant fatality rate dropped from about 1.4 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled to 1.1.
Most highway accidents are preventable. Excessive speed, inattention to control of the vehicle, driving while impaired and recklessness can cause violent accidents. Seatbelts dramatically increase the chance of survival.
Idaho is not among the 26 states and District of Columbia with laws that allow police to ticket drivers for not wearing a seatbelt, though they can be ticketed if stopped for another traffic violation and are seen to not be wearing a restraint.
In view of the evidence that seatbelts save lives, no law can improve on good judgment.
