by John Foster

Kirby Green

Sure, Kirby Green knows it’s best to buckle his seat belt. He knows that if he gets in a wreck, it could save his life. But when he’s just driving down the street in his pick-up, he usually forgets to wear it.
“I just don’t think of it,” he said.
Turns out he is in the majority in Owen County, according to figures released by the state on seat belt use.
On a survey of traffic in the area, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet determined that 46 percent of drivers and passengers in cars were wearing their seatbelts. This is an increase over 2004 figures showing a 38 percent rate.
Surrounded by counties near or above the statewide average of 66.7 percent, Owen was near the bottom of use in the state, a state that ranks 47th in seat belt use.
State Rep. Charlie Hoffman, D-Georgetown, wants those figures to go down. He is sponsoring a bill that he thinks will make many Kentuckians and residents of Owen County buckle up, an action, he said, that can improve safety and save lives.
“If we don’t do that we are neglecting our duties as a government,” he said.
The bill will make it possible for law enforcement officials to pull over a driver for not wearing a seat belt and potentially pose a $25 fine. Currently drivers can only be fined for failure to wear a seat belt if they are pulled over for another offense. Even so, according to Owen Circuit Court records, 173 citations were issued from Jan. 1, 2005 through Monday.
Hoffman said the 22 states that have enacted legislation have experienced an average of a 15-percent increase in usage, and said it is the only responsible thing to do as a legislator — to enact legislation with proven results.
An inspiration for the bill came from a study by a University of Kentucky think-tank, Hammond said.
In the report, the author of the study Dr. Emery A. Wilson said, “There is no question that seat belts save lives. Sadly, in Kentucky, approximately two-thirds of traumatic brain injuries and one-third of spinal cord injuries are caused by motor vehicle crashes.”
The study estimated that a primary seat belt law would result in 60 fewer traffic deaths per year, 1,400 fewer injuries and would save Kentucky hundreds of millions of dollars in health costs.
Some people may not be as enthusiastic about such legislation Owen County Sheriff Zemer Hammond said. He said many of the people he deals with would consider it an infringement on their personal liberties.
“They don’t feel like it’s the government’s place to force you to do something and I can understand that,” he said.
But, he said if enacted, “It’s the law and I have to enforce that.”
Hammond added that the low measure of usage for Owen County comes as a result of being off the beaten track. If people get on the interstate or go a long distance, they will probably put on their seatbelt, he said. But around the county, most people are only going a short distance and don’t fool with it.
Green agreed. He said if he’s driving any distance or through town, he’ll usually remember to buckle up.
Sitting across the table from Green at Dairy Queen was his coffee-drinking buddy, Scott Keith. Keith represented a different scenario. He said his daughter got him in the habit of always wearing a seat belt no matter how far he is going. So no seat belt law, no matter how stringent, will affect him.
But, he said, “I think the police have enough to do without all that.”
County Judge-Executive Billy O’Banion said he has some problems with the seat belt law affecting personal freedoms and thinks it has some credibility issues — pointing out that the state does not have a motorcycle helmet law.
Still, he said he is in favor of anything that will get more county residents to buckle up. He said when he gets distracted by the phone or his coffee, his 7-year-old son will remind him to put on his belt. Sometimes people need a reminder, he said. “With or without a law I think everyone should wear a seat belt,” he said.

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