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Seat Belts

Drivers are getting the message about seat belts.

“The seat belt campaign is making an impression on people and saving lives,” said Sgt. B.A. Pickens, of the Wood County Sheriff’s Office.

But there are still some who ignore the rules and disregard their own safety. When more than 1,000 vehicles passed through a seat belt checkpoint last week on West Virginia 95, there were still a small number of drivers who received citations for not wearing a seat belt, or for improper child restraints. The numbers were small enough to be encouraging to law enforcement officers, but there is still cause for concern.

“People are more aware and buckling up more often,” Pickens said. And, he noted, the number of traffic deaths in Wood County is down significantly this year – there have been nine, so far, where there had been 15 or 16 by this point last year.

With numbers like that, and knowing all we know about the degree to which seat belts and properly installed child seats save lives, why in the world would compliance numbers not be at 100 percent?

Those who choose to put their own lives at risk by not wearing seat belts should also bear in mind the example they are setting for children in the car. Even if that child is properly buckled into a car seat or booster, he or she will watch the driver head down the road without a seat belt on and be more likely to do the same someday.

More checkpoints are on the way, of course, and it would be nice to see seat belt usage from everyone who passes through. If you do not buckle up for your own safety, or to avoid a citation, consider doing it to set a good example that might save a life down the road.

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