LEWISTON – The Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Office is urging all motorists to buckle up every time they get into a vehicle.
Starting Monday, May 15, until June 2, the Sheriff’s Office is joining the Idaho Office Of Highway Safety and surrounding law enforcement agencies to enforce seat belt violations. During this time, there will be zero tolerance for people not wearing their seat belts or properly restraining children.
According to crash data from the Idaho Transportation Department, of the 184 passenger motor vehicle occupants over the age of 7 killed in 2021, only 67 were using seat belts. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates seat belts are 50% effective in preventing fatalities and serious injuries. By this estimate, there were 67 lives saved in 2021 by seat belt usage, and an additional 52 lives (half of those killed and unbelted) could have been saved if everyone had buckled up.
Idaho law enforcement agencies across the state want to get the message out that wearing seat belts does save lives.