The number of people who have died on South Carolina roads so far this year hit 1,011 as of late Thursday.

But today, the state’s primary seat belt law goes into effect. Officials hope it will lead to a reduction in the number of road deaths and injuries.

“In this troop alone, we have had a total of 95 fatalities,” said Capt. C. N. Williamson of South Carolina Highway Patrol Troop 7, which includes Orangeburg County. “Sixty-five of the 95 were not wearing a seat belt. At least half would have lived if they had of worn their seat belts.”

In 2002, South Carolina ranked only behind Montana and Mississippi in the number of road deaths, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This year, South Carolina is edging toward a record number of deaths, which peaked in 1972 at 1,099.

Until today, South Carolina had a secondary enforcement law for seat belts. Under that law, drivers could not be stopped for not wearing a seat belt. They could, however, be ticketed for not wearing a seat belt if they were stopped for other violations.

Now, law enforcement officials may stop a motorist if anyone in the vehicle is seen not wearing a seat belt.

Sixteen-year-old Shane Barber has had his permit for about four months.

“I think it’s a good idea,” Barber said. “Seat belts don’t save you every time, but it will keep you from going through the windshield.”

Barber said he wears his seat belt regardless of the law.

“All the time. It’s automatic,” he said.

For a driver or passengers older than 18, the penalty for violating the primary seat belt law is $25. The fine can’t be reduced in court.

However, drivers are also responsible for passengers younger than 18. Anyone under the age of 18 not wearing a seat belt can cost a driver a $25 fine.

On the other hand, wearing a seat belt may in the long run put money back into motorists’ pockets through a reduction in insurance rates, said Bruce White, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance spokesman.

White said South Carolina’s new seat belt law won’t lead to an immediate reduction in rates. It could lead to lower rates if it reduces the number of fatalities and injuries.

If fatality and injury figures do drop, the costs to insurance companies will decline. Because insurance companies base their rates on their claim experience over a number of years, a reduction in the amount they pay out could lead to a reduction in costs.

Any reduction would probably not be significant in the first year after the change, unless there were a significant decline in injuries. The reduction could be significant, however, if it led to a reduction over a three to five-year period.

“We use several years claim experience” to determine rates, White said.

In addition, officials say taxpayers could see a savings in the form of lowered medical expenses for the state.

Williamson said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has estimated that a change to a primary law will increase seat belt usage in the state by 11 percent. The most recent safety belt survey by S.C. Department of Public Safety shows about 70 percent of South Carolinians are buckling up.

NHTSA estimates that the 11 percent increase could prevent approximately 64 fatalities each year, 650 serious injuries and save approximately $140 million in taxpayer dollars.

“They (motorists) need to listen to that,” Williamson said. “Just as a doctor diagnoses you with cancer, you have a certain amount of time. If they keep going without a seat belt, they’re going to die, simple as that.”

But more than insurance rates or tax dollars, White says the new seat belt law “really boils down to a safety issue.”

Orangeburg Department of Public Safety Chief Wendell Davis agreed. The most important issue at hand is the reduction of fatalities and injuries in a state that ranked third in the nation in 2002 for traffic deaths, he said.

“I know of situations where had they been wearing a seat belt, they would not have been injured,” Davis said. Cost savings are important, “but it all goes back to life.”

Officials say that, as with any new law, there is a concern in minority communities that they could be targeted by the new statute.

Statistics that must be kept on the seat belt tickets written will be examined on a periodic basis to ensure an officer isn’t targeting one gender or race, Davis said.

The new statute will be vigorously enforced, Davis said, with officials expecting the high number of tickets to taper off once the public grasps the meaning of the primary law.

“It’s not an issue where ’this is just another way to write more tickets,’” Davis said. “It is, frankly, being put in place to reduce the number of injuries.”

From median safety barriers to reduced speeds on certain state roadways, officials say the new primary seat belt statute is the latest attempt to change South Carolina’s dieways back to highways.

“We’re going to do whatever it takes to save the lives of the citizens of South Carolina. Whatever it takes to convince you to put on that seat belt, that’s what we’re going to do,” Williamson said.

 

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