Craven
& Ober Policy Strategists, L.L.C.
"A
full service lobbying & government relations firm"
Seatbelt Safety
Coalition
Seatbelt
Safety Coalition
 Did
you know, motor vehicle-related
injury is the leading cause of death for children and young adults
aged one to 24 in the United States?
Six
out of ten children who die in crashes are unrestrained even
though child restraint laws have been in place across the country for
approximately the last fifteen years. When you don’t wear
your seat belt, it is everybody’s business. If
you survive an unbelted car crash, you are likely to sustain an extremely
serious disabling injury, are often between the ages of 17 – 24 and are
likely to incur substantial health care expenditures over the course of
your lifetime.
The decision not to buckle up is clearly associated with costs
borne by public agencies supported by our tax revenues.
A
15 percent increase in seat belt use, like that experienced by others
states after they have passed a primary enforcement seatbelt law, would
prevent 3,000-4,000 injuries and save Massachusetts an estimated $80
million in healthcare, taxes and insurance costs (NHTSA).
Passage
of a primary seat belt law would result in the immediate prevention of at
least two disabling injuries, traumatic brain injury (TBI) and spinal cord
injury (SCI).
Motor vehicle crash victims who suffer these disabling injuries
have direct long-term consequences on our Medicaid budget. Seat belt use is key to maximizing the lifesaving benefits of
air bags and to reducing the staggering number of people who are killed,
injured and disabled in crashes every year.
The issue of seat belt use remains a major public health and public
safety concern.
In
Massachusetts, many organizations, corporations, government agencies and
health care professionals have partnered to mobilize an intensive campaign
designed to increase the proper use of seat belts and child safety seats.
The Seat belts Are For Everyone,
“SAFE”, Coalition is working to build support for stepped up
enforcement of our current seat belt law through the passage of a primary
seat belt law. Massachusetts
has a 63% compliance rate with its secondary seat belt law. A
total of 22 states and the District of Columbia now have such standard
seat belt laws, which allow police to stop and ticket a driver just like
other traffic violations. People have different levels of tolerance for
risk and education alone is not
sufficient to change behavior. The
literature demonstrates that high-risk behavior is commonly associated
with increased injury severity and cost.
Trauma victims exhibiting high-risk behavior more often depend on
public agencies to cover the cost of acute injury.
Enactment of a primary law sends a
message to the public that seat belt use is an important safety issue that
the State takes seriously.
The greatest impact lies in legislative requirements for public
safety and self-protection.
Please
click on the enclosed Draft letter and tell your state senator and state
representative to support the passage of a primary seat belt law.
Please include a copy of the fact sheet and the list of Coalition
members with your letter. For a list of your state lawmakers, and their room numbers,
look at www.ma.gov and click to
“your government – elected officials”.
"Print
out editorial/news" on Pending Seat Belt Law.
Print
out a form letter to your Representative.
Print out Coalition Members.
Print out Fact Sheet Data.
Print
out Pediatric Data.
Print out Members Form.
Print Out Ejections.
Print out data from
other states:
Join
Us on the S.A.F.E. Coalition
Mission: The mission of the SAFE Coalition is to increase seatbelt
use among all residents in Massachusetts and to
reduce motor vehicle related fatalities and injuries and its corresponding
costs by upgrading the current seatbelt law.
Primary
seat belt laws work…
Why
Support a Primary Seat Belt Law?
Primary seat belt law work...
·
Primary seat belt
laws have a proven track record of increasing use rate
·
In 2004, seat belt
use was 80% in primary law states
·
Massachusetts has a
63% compliance rate with its “secondary law”
·
“Our low safety belt use rate was a major factor in the
433
fatalities and 91,000 injuries and $6.3 billion costs associated with
motor vehicle crashes in Massachusetts in 2000.” (Governor’s Highway
Safety Bureau)
·
In 1999, Massachusetts car owners
covered the bill for an estimated 149,686 injury claims; an estimated loss
of $ 910,486,396. (Auto Insurance Bureau).
·
Less than 1% of all
crash-related pediatric spinal cord injury patients are belted at the time
of the crash. (The Shepard Center)
·
Seat
belts are 57% effective in preventing traumatic and fatal brain injuries.
(Brain Injury Association of America)
·
Studies
have shown that “the incidence of any head injury among restrained
drivers … was only 2.76%”
A Primary Seat Belt Law
provides
a budget neutral means of directly reducing health care expenditures
by preventing and reducing unbelted motor vehicle crash disabling
injuries, like traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury. These injuries commonly result in immediate Medicaid
eligibility for people who will incur substantial health care
expenditures to address chronic health problems experienced and to provide
rehabilitative services, personal care attendants or long-term care
placement in skilled nursing facilities over the course of their lifetime.
What
Civil Libertarians say, but forget to point out: “A Primary seat belt law is a stab to the heart of freedom…It’s my
own choice whether or not to wear a seat belt and it’s of no consequence
to anyone else.” Facts:
The
financial consequences of this individual decision are borne by all of
us. Nationwide, NHTSA found that the
average inpatient costs for
crash victims who were not wearing safety belts were 55% higher than
for those who were belted.
The
following are Massachusetts’ specific data from reproducible, reliable
sources:
- There
were 4,595 crash related hospital admissions in Massachusetts
during
1996, representing $94,635,260 in inpatient hospital charges.
The
average charge per admission was $20,595. (Garthe Report: Div. of
Health Care Finance and Policy).
- 92
people died from traumatic brain injuries caused by car crashes in
2000. (MA Statewide Head Injury Program).
Another 1,027 were admitted for acute medical care.
Although just 11.1%
(113) were Medicaid beneficiaries at the time of injury,
42.6%
(437) required another placement for further treatment after hospital
discharge. 17.7% (182) required long-term care placement.
Many severely brain-injured spend down their resources quickly
and become Medicaid eligible.
- There
are about 100 new spinal cord
injured patients each year from
unbelted car crashes in Massachusetts. The acute care costs of a spinal cord injury range from
$209,074 to $572,178. Associated
long-term health and living expenses range between $11,817 to $102,491
per year. (Spinal Cord Injury Foundation)
- Last
year, the House Medicaid Taskforce charted
increasing
growth in the long-term expenditures for disabled Massachusetts
Medicaid enrollees.
- In 2003 there were 2,388 persons ejected from their vehicles in
Massachusetts. That's 6-7 persons each day! Seat Belts prevent ejection.
What
Additional Benefits are There?
-
Making all
traffic violations subject to primary enforcement sends a clear
message that the state considers belt use mandatory for the safe
operation of a motor vehicle, while eliminating any discretionary
application of the law.
- A 15 %
increase in seat belt use, like that experienced by others states
after they have passed primary enforcement, would prevent 3,000-4,000
injuries and save Massachusetts an estimated $80 million in
healthcare, taxes and insurance costs. (NHTSA).
-
A seat belt violation is not a surchargeable
event for purposes of insurance premiums in Massachusetts.
Sign
up as a member of the SAFE Coalition Now
“Seatbelts
Are For Everyone”
About Signing the
Member Form and Joining the SAFE Coalition
Thank you for joining us in this
important effort…to save lives by increasing seatbelt enforcement and
usage. Here is some information you may need.
-
Signing
the form simply confirms that you may be listed publicly on lists of
people, businesses and organizations who support a primary seatbelt
law in Massachusetts. This
is the only position and the only issue with which your name will be
associated.
-
Lists
of members may be used in association with materials such as fact
sheets, brochures, letterheads, testimony and possibly in
advertisement about the initiative.
All statements in such materials will be based on verifiable
facts and information.
-
All
lists of members will note titles and affiliations for identification
purposes only.
-
Signing
the members form does not obligate you to contribute time or money, or
attend any meetings or make any public statements.
Members are welcome to become more actively involved in SAFE
coalition activities. Any further involvement beyond being listed as a
member of the SAFE Coalition is entirely voluntary.
Click form button to sign up:
Click below to:
Print
out a form letter to your Representative.
Print out Coalition Members.
Print out Fact Sheet Data.
Print
out Pediatric Data.
Print out Members Form.
Print Out Ejections.
Print out data from
other states:
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