IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – With the start of the 100 deadliest days, Idaho’s Office of Highway Safety is encouraging drivers to buckle up this summer with a seatbelt mobilization.
During certain times of the year, the Office of Highway Safety gives out grants to law enforcement agencies to put extra officers on the road.
Right now, those grants are helping law enforcement keep an extra eye out for seatbelt violations for the 100 deadliest days.
There’s a good reason to push seatbelts. SHIFT Idaho says a person is 50% more likely to avoid serious injury or death in a car crash when wearing a seatbelt.
Sgt. Bryan Lovell with the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office said that using those extra resources to educate people is much better than having to respond to a fatal crash for something preventable.
“Some of the biggest factors in the crashes that we’re going to are speed, inattention, distracted driving, those kinds of things,” Lovell said. “Putting that seatbelt on is, a small decision you can make right from the get go, as soon as you get in the car. That just eliminates that part of that risk from other people that may not be paying attention or driving aggressively.”
Lovell also says driving defensively and being patient with other drivers is a great way to stay safe this summer.
