Community Presentation Intro• Please use the following slides for your presentation to community

leaders or members of the public.

• To enhance your presentation, consider including pictures and/or local data.

• Both national and Massachusetts-specific data are included in the following slides.

• Language in [brackets] denotes that you should customize the section (by entering the name of your department, for example) or remove it altogether if the item isn’t applicable (if you do not have a CPS Technician on staff).

• Questions about this presentation should be directed to Brittany Peters at EOPSS/HSD via email at brittany.peters@state.ma.us.

[Enter Your Community/Department Name Here]

[Enter the date of your presentation here]

S = Salem State College

S

Massachusetts Annual Safety Belt Usage Goals vs. Actual Usage Rates

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2008 2009 2010 2011

GoalActual

Figures per Federal Fiscal Year (October 1 – September 30)

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Primary vs. Secondary Safety Belt State Laws• MGL, Chapter 90, §13A requires that all drivers and

passengers in a motor vehicle wear a safety belt.• Massachusetts is a secondary enforcement law state.

Secondary enforcement laws allow police to ticket a motorist for not wearing a safety belt only if they witness another traffic offense first.

• Despite significant efforts during federal fiscal year (FFY) 2010 to educate the legislature on the health and financial benefits of a primary seat belt law, the Massachusetts Legislature did not enact such legislation

• Nationally, states with primary safety belt laws have 88% driver safety belt usage, while those with secondary enforcement have only 75%.

Safety Belts Save Lives• When used correctly, a safety belt system can reduce

your chances of serious or fatal injury by up to 50%• The proper use position for an adult driver or passenger

calls for the lap belt to sit low on the hips and the shoulder strap to fall across the chest

• Increased safety belt use correlates with decreased injury rates in communities

• Preliminary data for 2009 show the number of unrestrained passenger vehicle occupant fatalities in Massachusetts has declined by 13% from an average of 152 fatalities to an average of 135 fatalities from 2005-2009. However, one fatality is still too many.

Child Passenger Safety (CPS)• During FFY 2010, the Highway Safety Division (HSD)

provided funding to train 121 new CPS technicians and recertify 28 former technicians across the state.

• During FFY 2010, the State Police and 257 municipal police departments issued a total of 563 CPS citations during the federally-funded high-visibility traffic enforcement mobilizations.

• [If you have a CPS Instructor or Technician on staff, use this space to list the contact information for him/her.]

• [Also list any regularly scheduled CPS Fitting Stations the department runs or upcoming events.]

Click It or Ticket (CIOT) Initiatives• Massachusetts May Click It or Ticket high-visibility

traffic enforcement Mobilization dates: May 23 – June 5, 2011.

• [Use this space to note any educational activities (including safety belt surveys or any of the safety belt initiatives such) you are conducting]

For More InformationVisit the Highway Safety Division (HSD) website at: http://www.mass.gov/highwaysafety

Select the ‘Community Safety Belt Survey Initiatives’ link on the HSD homepage

Department Contact Information

[Use this space to list the information for the department’s grant contact. Include his/her name, title, email address and phone number.]