An effort to encourage South Carolinians – especially young people – to buckle up got off to a flying start recently as the SC Department of Public Safety (SCDPS) kicked off its annual safety belt enforcement campaign at a regional airport.

The Jim Hamilton-L.B. Owens Airport, located outside downtown Columbia, served as the backdrop for the safety belt event. SCDPS and local law enforcement agencies launched the Buckle Up, South Carolina! (BUSC) safety belt campaign at the airport, which also served as a reminder that safety belts were first used in aircraft to keep pilots from falling out of planes before being adopted for use in motor vehicles.

“Folks in aviation understand the need to follow certain procedures to remain safe and one thing is clear: Before starting the engine, you check to make sure your safety belt is adjusted and locked. In other words, you don’t take off until you’re buckled in,” SCDPS Director Mark Keel said. “We’ve got to get that same type of mindset into the head of every motorist – especially our young drivers. You don’t take off down the road until you’re buckled up.”

BUSC is a high visibility statewide safety belt enforcement and public information campaign coordinated by SCDPS in conjunction with national and regional enforcement mobilizations. The goals are an increase in safety belt usage, a decrease in traffic fatalities and serious injuries during the period, and greater awareness about the role safety belts have in keeping motorists safe on the road.

Through April, about 30 people in South Carolina between the ages of 15 and 24 were killed in traffic collisions in which they had access to a safety belt that was not used. Further, an average of seven out of 10 teenagers killed in traffic crashes in South Carolina are not buckled.

In addition to the safety aspect of buckling up, Keel emphasized that those who don’t wear a safety belt are breaking the law. “Buckle Up, South Carolina! is an enforcement campaign, first and foremost,” he said. “We’ll ticket those who do not comply with the state’s primary safety belt law. And by doing so, we might just save a life.”

Many people in South Carolina are heeding the law. The state recorded a record 85.4 percent safety belt usage rate in 2010 according to a study conducted by the University of South Carolina in June 2010. (The 2011 study is expected to be completed this summer.) However, far too many people still are dying in collisions in which a safety belt could have made the difference.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), regular safety belt use is the single most effective way to protect people and reduce fatalities in motor vehicle crashes. When worn correctly, safety belts have proven to reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants by 45 percent, and by 60 percent in pickup trucks, SUVs, and minivans.

More than half of automobile occupants killed in South Carolina traffic collisions were not wearing safety belts. Further, an unbuckled person is at great risk of being ejected from the vehicle in a crash. In South Carolina, four out of five people ejected from a vehicle in a crash are killed.

“It’s not worth betting that you will be the one who walks away,” Keel said. “Just buckle up. Motorists should follow the law to protect themselves and others. Officers will be out in force to make sure they do.”

People violating the safety belt law can be fined up to $50 for multiple violations during the same traffic stop. Fines for child passenger safety violations are up to $150 for each violation, with court costs raising the penalties to $350.

As part of SCDPS’ efforts to inform the public about the enforcement mobilization, the law and the benefits of buckling up, the agency is airing TV and radio commercials statewide. The ads began May 16 and will run through May 31.

During the BUSC campaign, the SC Department of Transportation (SCDOT) will allow use of its electronic message boards across the state to remind motorists to wear safety belts. The posted message will be “Buckle up. It’s the law.”

www.scdps.org

The South Carolina Department of Public Safety includes the Highway Patrol, Office of Highway Safety, State Transport Police, Bureau of Protective Services, Office of Justice Programs and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame. Our mission is to ensure public safety by protecting and serving the people of South Carolina and its visitors.