Extra deputies patrol for unbuckled motorists

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - Bonneville County Sheriff’s deputies are mobilizing with the Idaho Office of Highway Safety (OHS) and law enforcement from across the state to educate motorists about the importance of wearing your seat belt.

Utilizing grant funds from OHS, extra deputies will be on our roads through the end of November looking for traffic violations and motorists who are not buckling up. Drivers who don’t make sure everyone in the vehicle is wearing a seatbelt could be faced with a citation and fine or worse yet, the burden of a serious injury or fatal crash. 

So far this year, the number of fatality crashes has increased each month compared to the previous year despite the fact approximately 85% of Idahoans wear their seat belt. A number of those fatalities involved unrestrained motorists and potentially could have been prevented if the simple act of buckling up took place. Approximately 82% of unrestrained fatalities happen on rural roads where speed limits tend to be lower, and the amount of traffic is less. This suggests motorists traveling in rural areas may have a false sense of security compared to highway or interstate travel and are not as concerned with the potential consequences of being involved in a crash. 

These numbers speak for themselves, and no matter where you go wearing a seat belt makes you 50% less likely to suffer a fatal or serious injury from a traffic crash. The safety systems built into today’s vehicles are designed to work together and provide the best possible protection when occupants are property buckled up.  Taking advantage of those safety systems by simply putting on your seat belt every time you get into a vehicle will help keep you from becoming one of these statistics.