The Idaho State Police (ISP), tasked with keeping drivers safe on the state’s highways, announced Sunday a plan to increase seat belt enforcement efforts in the month of September. Officers will also be looking for those motorists exhibiting unsafe driving behaviors.
The agency promises no mercy for drivers not utilizing safety restraints. ”If you are caught not wearing your seat belt, you will be cited,” said the ISP announcement.
ISP offered its reasoning for wanting to increase seat belt enforcement measures in its own words:
Many drivers either don’t realize or consider the fact that there are three collisions involved in a single crash. The first collision is the vehicle striking another object. The second collision involves the individuals hitting objects or other humans inside the vehicle and the third collision are the internal organs hitting other organs, bones or even the inside of the skull. The most dangerous part of a crash is not the initial collision but the human and internal collisions. Individuals are thrown around inside the vehicle hitting steering wheels, windshields, center consoles or they are ejected out of the vehicle striking outside objects or being crushed by their own vehicle.
The agency wants drivers to remember in September that seat belts must be worn when vehicles are in operation and they must be worn properly, or serious injury or death could still result. ISP wants drivers to know state law is real and will be applied in the upcoming month. ”‘Click It, Don’t Risk It!’ is more than a slogan,” said the announcement. “It’s a reminder that the seat belt law is strictly enforced in the state of Idaho.”
The announcement came less than a week after the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) released a TV advertisement showing the dangers of not using safety restraints.
