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Buckle up

Law enforcement on lookout for seat belt violations this weekend

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen Buckling up is an action that only takes a few seconds before heading out on the road. Local law enforcement is encouraging motorists to wear their seatbelts, not just this upcoming holiday weekend, but every day.

As travelers prepare to go out this weekend to celebrate Memorial Day, law enforcement agencies across the state are reminding motorists to use their seat belts when they’re in the car.

The Iowa Department of Public Safety, in conjunction with the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau, announced that through June 4, law enforcement officers across the state will be stepping up their enforcement of the seat belt laws.

That includes the Fort Dodge area.

Webster County Sheriff Jim Stubbs said, statistically, most people in the state do wear seat belts while driving.

“In Iowa, the usage is 92.8 percent as of the first part of May this year, which is up from 91.8 from 2013,” Stubbs said. “And then the remaining 7 percent, which would be the non-users in the past survey, account for 46 percent of the fatalities in Iowa.”

Sgt. Aaron Smidt, of the Iowa State Patrol, said everybody in the vehicle should wear their seat belts, including those riding in the back seat.

“Most of our crashes right now that we are having so far this year, a lot of them have been people that have not been buckled up and a lot of serious injuries have come from those accidents,” Smidt said. “If a lot of those people had been wearing seat belts, they would have walked away with very, very minor injuries, if any.”

The goal of seat belts is to keep travelers safe while on the roads, according to Roger Porter, assistant Fort Dodge police chief.

“We just want everybody to be safe,” he said. “Data has shown that seat belts save lives. It’s not 100 percent guaranteed all the time, but it’s better to be belted in than take the risk.”

Stubbs agreed, saying that sometimes, after an accident, a seat belt is blamed for the death of someone in the vehicle.

But he said that’s a rare occasion, and most people who aren’t belted that are killed in traffic accidents are ejected from their vehicles.

“It’s proven that, for the most part, your greatest percentage of survival is to wear your seat belt,” he said.

All three officers said their departments have noticed that most in the Fort Dodge area do wear their seat belts while driving.

Smidt said survey results prove that as well.

“Every once in awhile, we’ll do a survey to see the percentage of people we see wearing seat belts,” he said. “As the years pass, we’ve been around 93, 94, 95 percent of people wearing them.”

“Unfortunately, we go to those accidents and we find those few that aren’t wearing seat belts.”

Porter said it’s important to teach seat belt safety, especially to children.

He said his own children know that drivers have to wear a seat belt while operating a vehicle.

“There’s times when I’ll jump in the car and put my seat belt on after I start the car, and my kids are the first to say, ‘Dad, put your seat belt on,'” Porter said. “You’re going to teach others the same thing. I want my kids to be making sure they’re wearing their seat belts when they go out.”

Smidt said all law enforcement officers recommend wearing seat belts.

“The chances of being involved in an accident may be slim, but there’s always that chance,” he said. “And we’d much rather people wear them than take a chance not wearing them.”

Stubbs agreed.

“We hope that everybody has a safe motoring Memorial weekend and abide by all the laws and try to be safe and as cautious as possible,” he said, adding that drivers should also be aware of their speed, alcohol abuse and driving on little to no sleep.

“We want everyone to be as safe as they can and have fun,” he said.

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