Lack of seatbelt safety causes high number of traffic deaths in 2013
North Elementary students remember Daniel Lopez, a second-grader killed in a Highway 17 accident. Daniel was one of an unusually high number of deaths resulting from not wearing a seatbelt this year.
WENATCHEE - Early numbers show an alarming trend of people killed in traffic collisions while not wearing a seatbelt, raising concerns of local law enforcement.
So far this year, six of the seven motorists killed in collisions in the State Patrol's District 6, including Kittitas, Chelan, Douglas, Grant, Okanogan and part of Adams counties, were not properly restrained, according to Trooper Darren Wright on Thursday.
"Tragically, two of those killed were children," Wright said in a prepared statement released Thursday.
In Grant County, an 8-year-old Ephrata boy died on state Route 17 in March.
In April, a 63-year-old man was killed her Mattawa and a 54-year-old man was killed near Warden. None of the victims were wearing seatbelts, according to the state patrol.
"The Washington State Patrol is committed to eliminating all fatalities on Washington roadways," Wright said.
"In an effort to accomplish this, troopers are focusing their efforts on changing behaviors and habits through education and enforcement, of those that do not properly wear their seatbelts."
Troopers in District 6 have contacted 824 motorists and issued 741 citations for restraint violations, a 46 percent increase in citations from the same period in 2012.
"Washington motorists have some of the highest seatbelt usage percentages in the nation, at over 95 percent," Wright said.
"But until we have 100 percent seatbelt usage, troopers will be looking for those unrestrained vehicle occupants, and drivers with unrestrained children."
State law requires children younger than age 8 or shorter than 4-feet-9 inches tall must be in a booster seat. Children younger than 13 should be in the rear seat when practical to do so, according to Wright.
The citation for not properly wearing a seatbelt is $124.
"Summer is just around the corner. Summer recreation, festivals and vacation travel will bring more vehicles on the road," Wright said. "Please take advantage of the protections offered by vehicle restraint systems so that everyone arrives at their destinations safely."
The Central Basin Traffic Safety Task Force, serving Grant and Adams counties, provides traffic safety education enforcement throughout the region to reduce the number of serious injuries and fatalities in traffic collisions.
The state patrol is committed to the Target Zero plan, the state's strategic highway safety plan, and is working to reduce highway deaths to zero by 2030. The entire plan can be found at www.targetzero.com.