THE ISSUE: Seat belt usage

OUR OPINION: More South Carolinians showing they want to live

Good news: According to a new survey, 79 percent of South Carolina motorists are buckling up – a historical high for the state.

As part of the Buckle Up South Carolina campaign that ran from May 19 to June 1, the S.C. Department of Public Safety commissioned a survey by the University of South Carolina to gauge the effectiveness of the safety belt initiative.

SCDPS officials credit the high safety belt usage rate to the motoring public’s increased compliance with the primary safety belt law and efforts of the law enforcement community. In addition, SCDPS’ Office of Highway Safety has coordinated outreach efforts through the media and public events to educate the public about the life-saving potential of buckling up. 

“The increase in the safety belt usage rate is indicative of the extraordinary work by state and local law enforcement officers during the BUSC campaign,” said Mark Keel, director of SCDPS. “The bottom line is that when more people wear safety belts, more lives are saved on our highways.”

The safety belt usage rate in South Carolina has been more than 70 percent for three years in a row. This year’s record-breaking result is based on counts conducted in 16 counties in June that recorded drivers and passengers who used shoulder-style safety belts. 

While South Carolina’s safety belt usage is on the rise, it still lags the national safety belt usage rate of 82 percent. Still, Keel said he is pleased with the results of the survey.

“Every little bit helps,” he said. “Of course, we have room to improve and we can through the continued efforts of law enforcement, education and the public’s compliance with the law.”

BUSC is a high-visibility statewide safety belt enforcement and public information and education campaign coordinated by SCDPS in conjunction with national and regional enforcement mobilizations of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The goals are an increase in safety belt usage in South Carolina and a decrease in traffic fatalities and serious injuries during the enforcement period.

According to preliminary statistics from the OHS, fatalities during BUSC decreased 31 percent over last year. Data shows that 20 people died this year during the campaign period compared to 29 during last year’s campaign.

The BUSC survey also found that:

Women continue to be more likely than men to use safety belts (85.8 percent to 74.2 percent).

Passengers are less likely than drivers to use safety belts (78.2 percent to 79.1 percent).

Rural occupants are less likely to use safety belts than urban occupants (76.0 percent to 80.3 percent).

White occupants had a higher rate of use than non-white occupants (82.4 percent to 70.9 percent).

Car occupants were more likely to wear safety belts than truck occupants (81.1 percent to 73.3 percent).

Now for the bad news: Of the three counties with the lowest percent of usage, Bamberg was by far the lowest at 62.7 percent. Next to last was Union at 70.9 percent. Compare those to the state’s best, Lexington at 86.3 percent, and the message is far too many people are putting themselves in needless danger.

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