Time to “Buckle Up in Trucks” and save lives

Published 2:00 am Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Motorists who drive pickup trucks should begin to “buckle up.” Georgia law now requires all passengers riding in pickup trucks to wear their safety belt when the truck they are riding in is operated on the roadways of Georgia.  

The new law went into effect on June 3, immediately after Gov. Sonny Perdue signed Senate Bill 458 in Dalton. The law is estimated to save 21 lives and prevent 300 serious injuries across the state each year.  It is also estimated by supporters that $30 million will be saved in hospital costs each year.  

The Dalton Police Department takes an active role in enforcing Georgia’s occupant safety laws, and will continue that when in comes to occupants riding in pickup trucks in an attempt to prevent serious injuries related to vehicle crashes.   

The department conducted a recent survey of seat belt use within the city and found that only 73 percent of the occupants riding in pickup trucks were wearing their seat belt, well below the percentage of occupants riding in passenger cars. In a survey conducted for passenger cars in April of this year the department found that 86 percent of the occupants riding in passenger cars were wearing their seat belt. A recent survey at the completion of the first national mobilization of law enforcement agencies’ “Click it or Ticket,” which ended June 6, found that the percentage rate for seat belt use in Dalton had risen to 92 percent. This is the highest percentage of use in Dalton since November of 2008 when it stood at 88 percent. The rise in seat belt use is directly related to public education about the importance of seat belt use and the enforcement of Georgia’s occupant safety laws.    

The Dalton Police Department would like to ask all passengers of vehicles to buckle up, not only because it is required under Georgia law, but because we need everyone’s help to stop serious injuries associated with vehicle crashes.