KING COUNTY, WA - Today, as part of the national Operation ABC (America Buckles up Children) Mobilization, Public Health - Seattle & King County, the King County Traffic Safety Coalition, King County Executive Ron Sims, King County Sheriff David Reichert and Seattle Mayor Paul Schell are stressing the need of young people to drive carefully and buckle up.

"Hundreds of people are killed each year on our state's roads, and over half of those deaths involve drivers or passengers who aren't wearing seat belts," said King County Executive Ron Sims. "Our county is committed to improving the safety of our population, and especially for teens and newer drivers, this means buckling up."

• Nationally, teenagers are four times more likely than older drivers to get into a crash.
• Alarmingly, about two-thirds of 16-24 year olds who died in crashes during 1999 were not wearing seat belts.

"Teens and younger drivers are often reluctant to acknowledge safety risks, but they do understand the threat of a traffic ticket or driving privileges being restricted," said Dr. Alonzo Plough, Director of Public Health - Seattle & King County. "Parents and young people need to work together to improve driving safety."

"It is important for parents and others who work with teens and young drivers to constantly have the conversation about wearing seat belts, following the speed limit, and not drinking and driving," said Tony Gomez, Public Health's Violence and Injury Prevention manager and chair of the King County Traffic Safety Coalition.

"Youth are our future, we must work hard to protect them and make sure they are rewarded for good decisions and are accountable for poor decisions," said Gomez.

The King County Traffic Safety Coalition reminds area citizens that traffic safety emphasis patrols by law enforcement which focus on unsafe drivers will continue in the future, though some emphasis patrols will not be announced to the public. The King County Traffic Safety Coalition is composed of law enforcement agencies, public health officials as well as community and health organizations.

According to King County Sheriff David Reichert, "Many people will be driving these holiday, but if someone is driving unsafely, we will do everything in our power to make sure this recklessness stops. We want safe travel for all."

New seat belt law in our future?

"The greatest injury risks to our population are still traffic-related, and 8,000 Americans will die because they failed to buckle up. This is the most preventable of public health problems facing our community. Please buckle up, drive the speed limit, and of course, never drink and drive," said Plough.

Presently, for adults and teens, seat belt enforcement is a secondary offense. If an officer pulls someone over for an unsafe driving action, this person can also be ticketed for not wearing a seat belt. No one can be pulled over just for the seat belt violation.

However, the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission, the King County Traffic Safety Coalition, Seattle Mayor Paul Schell, Public Health - Seattle & King County, law enforcement, safety groups and a bipartisan mix of elected officials are working to pass a statewide primary seat belt law. If this law passes, drivers could be pulled over for a seat belt violation.

"By using an effective combination of laws and public education, we can save lives, avoid unnecessary hardship, and curtail millions of dollars in medical costs," said Seattle Mayor Paul Schell.

According to the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, when seat belts are worn correctly, they are 70% effective in preventing death.

In other states, seat belt usage has gone up 10-15% after a primary enforcement seat belt law has been passed. Recent research also shows that adults who do not use seat belts endanger children since children model adult behaviors and are less likely to buckle up.