Page 18 - AAA Every Day – AAA Hudson Valley – December 2020/January 2021

SAFETY ZONE
The Next Chapter of NY’s Seat Belt Law
In the past 30 years, we have seen many changes to vehicles, traffic laws and even roadway design. The one thing that has not changed is the lifesaving benefit of
wearing a seat belt.
Driving involves risk. Drivers, pedestrians and even
animals can act unpredictably. Every year in the United States, more than 35,000 people are killed as a result of vehicle crashes. In addition, we see more than 2 million people injured per year on our roadways. We have to do better. Losing nearly two people per state per day should shock us all. Today’s high-tech vehicles are full of safety innovations, but none save more lives than the ordinary seat belt. Vehicle crashes produce tremendous force. Anyone or anything not restrained can become a dangerous projectile.
Most of us wear our seat belt. Hopefully, it’s a long established habit. New York was the first U.S state to require seat belt use in the front. When that law was passed, more than 35 years ago, front seat belt use was estimated at 10-15%. Even though three-point seat belts were on all vehicles for more than a decade, it clearly was not a habit to use them. Over the years, more and more states have passed seat-belt laws. It took a law to begin the habit. Change takes time, but let’s look at the results. Today, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates front seat belt use at 90%. Seat belts save approximately 15,000 lives per year. That is an impressive number, but we can still save many more. This particular statistic says it all: 47% of passenger occupants killed in 2017 were unrestrained.
New York has joined 30 other states by requiring seat belt use in the back seat as of Nov. 1, 2020.
Shutterstock: Rido
As of 2007, federal law required new vehicles to have three-point seat belts in all rear-seating positions. Slowly, states begin expanding seat belt laws to include the back seat. Now, we need to help encourage rear seat belt use “every seat — every ride” a habit.
It may take another 10 to 15 years before we see the full benefits. This new law will start us on the path to saving thousands of lives and millions of dollars in health care costs. During that time, we hope to continue to build on this safety restraint habit. How about buckling up on all buses and in limousines? We really can prevent most roadway deaths.
Here is a quick review of New York’s occupant restraint law, as of Nov. 1, 2020:
• The driver and all passengers are required to buckle up. (This includes taxis and rideshare.)
• The driver is responsible for the restraint use of any passenger younger than 16 years of age.
• Children less than 4 years of age must be restrained in a child safety seat to satisfy Federal Motor Vehicle Standard 213.
• Rear-facing child seats are required for children less than 2 years of age.
• Children ages 4 to 8 must be properly restrained in an appropriate child-restraint system. The restraint should meet the child’s height and weight range stated by the manufacturer.
Visit AAA.com/Safety for additional Traffic Safety resources.
Mike Sweeney is a Traffic Safety Educator at AAA Hudson Valley.
18 I DEC/JAN 2020/21