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Buckle Up Your Seat Belt in Massachusetts

Posted on Jul 29, 2009

New federal grants will allow state and local police to add extra traffic patrols, which will help them crack down on people not wearing seat belts. Even though police cannot stop cars just for seat belt violations, they can stop them for other reasons and can issue tickets for individuals who are not buckled up.

Massachusetts is considered the worst in the country when it comes to seat belt usage, as it has the lowest percentage of seat belt use. Three car accidents on July 4th confirmed this problem when seven people died who were not wearing seat belts. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has reported that only approximately 67 percent of drivers in Massachusetts will use seat belts.

According to David Procopio, his agency is planning on launching about 470 additional patrols through the state, which was supposed to have started on Thursday, July 23, 2009 and last eight days.

Over 240 local police departments will also add more patrols. Ethan Tavan, a spokesman for the Highway Safety Division in the Executive Office of Public Safety, said that six of these types of campaigns are launched every year, focusing on seat belt use and drunk driving.

Anyone who is 16 and older can be issued a $25 fine for not wearing a seatbelt. The driver can be fined for each passenger 12 to 15 who is not buckled up.

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