BY TANYA ALBERT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Driving somewhere this Labor Day weekend? Better buckle up.
State police in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana say they'll be on the lookout for people not wearing seat belts. And they're not afraid to cite people.
"It's not about writing tickets," said 1st Sgt. Steve Hillman of Indiana State Police. "It's about saving lives."
Over Labor Day weekend in 1997:
- 15 people died in accidents on Ohio roads. Eleven people had seat belts available; only two were wearing them. The others were on motorcycles or were pedestrians.
- 13 people died in car accidents on Kentucky roads; 10 of those victims were not wearing seat belts.
- 11 people died in car accidents on Indiana roads. Three were not wearing seat belts, and three were. The rest were pedestrians or bicyclists or people whose belt use was unknown.
Indiana State Police on Tuesday began enforcing a new law that allows police to pull people over if they are not wearing seat belts, 1st Sgt. Hillman said. Before making the seat belt requirement a "primary law," police had to pull the car over for another violation before being able to write the ticket.
A bill in the Ohio legislature would make the state's seat belt law a primary law. To raise awareness, the Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Ohio Department of Public Safety this weekend will keep a "lives lost" message board on the Statehouse steps in Columbus. It will display the number of people not wearing seat belts, said Lt. John Born, spokesman for the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
In Kentucky, motorists stopped at checkpoints will be checked for seat belts and child restraints. Those wearing belts will be entered in a contest to win a two-year lease on a 1998 Ford Ranger. Statewide, Kentucky troopers will write "Thank You tickets" to drivers wearing seat belts.
