NCJ Number
197861
Date Published
August 2002
Length
23 pages
Annotation
This report describes the State Associations of Chiefs of Police programs to encourage seat belt safety.
Abstract
Highlighting seat belt enforcement programs, this report details State Associations of Chiefs of Police (SACOP) safety programs. After discussing the 1997 Air Bag and Seat Belt Safety Campaign designed to achieve the widespread enforcement of occupant protection laws under the Buckle Up America (BUA) campaign, this report describes several SACOP agreements with local law enforcement agencies. New Mexico’s Highway Safety Office funded an aggressive occupant protection program, Operation Buckle Down, in order to bring issues of seat belt and child restraint enforcement to large areas of New Mexico. Michigan’s safety belt/harassment law, passed in 1999, was designed so that officers would be more professional on safety belt stops, reducing conflict with local citizens. In Connecticut, the Department of Transportation Division of Highway Safety planned several seat belt enforcement initiatives all designed to increase the public’s awareness of the importance of using safety belts and child restraint systems. Reach Out New England 2000 was a safety initiative, designed by the six New England States, in order to enhance occupant protection efforts through interagency cooperation. In Missouri, low seat belt usage and minimal focus on child safety seat use were addressed when the Missouri Division of Highway Safety asked the Missouri Police Chiefs Association to intensify its seat belt awareness and enforcement programs. This report concludes stating that all of the participating States reported that SACOP grants resulted in both increased seat belt and child safety seat usage and in increased partnerships among law enforcement agencies.