SUBJECT: Click it Do Risk IT

Date: November 4, 2005

Idahoans are encouraged to “Click It, Don’t Risk It!” as part of a campaign to save lives by increasing seat belt and child safety seat use. The Post Falls Police Department and the Coeur d’ Alene Police Department along with law enforcement agencies throughout Idaho will step up enforcement patrol s November 14^th to December 5^th. Failure to be properly restrained violates Idaho law requiring all occupants of a vehicle to be buckled up and puts all vehicle occupants at risk of death or injury in the event of a crash. Idaho law requires:

All occupants must be properly restrained.

All adult violators, 18 and older, will receive a $10.00 citation.

Adult drivers with any unbelted occupants under 18 years of age will receive a $10.00 citation.

Drivers under 18 years old will be cited if anyone under 18 years old is not properly restrained. The fine is $42.50.

In addition to an emphasis on seat belt violations, officers will be on the lookout for children who are not properly restrained. Idaho law requires children to be in child safety seats until they are six years of age. However parents are encouraged to keep their children in booster seats until they reach 8 years old and 80 pounds. A booster seat elevates a child so a seat belt can fit correctly. Most seat belts are designed to protect an average-sized adult male. Young children using only seat belts are at risk of injuries to the abdomen and spine, and are four times more likely to suffer a serious head injury in a crash if they are not secured in a booster seat.

Of the 239 motor vehicle occupants killed in Idaho in 2003, only 89 (37 percent) were properly restrained. The national seat belt usage rate is 80% while Idaho ’s seat belt usage rate is just 76%.

In Kootenai County in 2003, there were 8 motor vehicle occupants killed in traffic crashed. Five were not properly restrained. Of the 107 people seriously injured in crashes, 28 were not restrained. The comprehensive cost savings if all had been properly restrained was $9,709,147 in 2003.

ITD (Idaho Transportation Department) is funding an extensive, statewide paid media campaign including television, radio, and billboard advertising to inform the public of the increased patrol s and importance of buckling up.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Sgt. Pat Knight

AUTHOR: Sgt. Pat Knight