Yavapai County Sheriff enforcement effort funded by GOHS
Verde Valley AZ (May 10, 2018) – In an effort to save more lives on Arizona roadways, the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety is joining the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office and our local law enforcement partners to enforce Arizona’s seat belt and child safety seat laws. The enforcement effort will run from May 21 through June 3, 2018.
Arizona has a secondary seat belt law that allows officers to only issue citations for violations during traffic stops for other violations. However, Arizona’s child restraint law is a primary enforcement measure under which officers can stop vehicles because of suspected violations of that law. This aggressive enforcement campaign is based upon high visibility traffic enforcement with a “zero-tolerance” approach towards seat belt and child safety seat usage.
Motor vehicle collisions continue to be the leading cause of death, injury and property damage in Arizona and the United States. A number of factors contribute to the risk of collision including; vehicle design, speed of operation, road design, road environment, driver skill and/or impairment and driver behavior. The human factor that has been consistently identified in reducing collisions and minimizing their effects is consistent usage of seat belts and child safety seats.
According to the Arizona Motor Vehicle Crash Facts, there were 952 vehicle occupants (driver/passenger) fatalities in 2016, of which 333 (35%) were unrestrained. Children under the age of five accounted for 11 passenger fatalities in 2016, of which 3 (27%) were unrestrained.
Regular seat belt use is the single most effective way to protect people and reduce fatalities in motor vehicle crashes. When worn correctly, seat belts have proven to reduce serious crash-related injuries and deaths by about 50%. The proper and consistent use of child safety seats has been found to reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71% for infants (under 1-year-old) and by 54% for toddlers (1 to 4 years old) in passenger cars. Properly installed booster seats reduce the risk for serious injury by 45% among children ages 4 to 8 years old.
Despite widespread efforts to educate drivers about the importance of wearing seat belts, motor vehicle collisions continue to be a leading cause of death and serious injuries.
BUCKLE UP ARIZONA…. IT’S THE LAW