Buckle Up . . .

Starting today, buckle up or risk a fine Portland Press Herald April 1, 2008 Changes in state law mean that failure to use seat belts can bring fines ranging from $50 to $250. By GLENN ADAMS, The Associated Press AUGUSTA — Maine has a seat belt law, but police have issued just warnings to violators since it was bolstered in September. As of today, it's no more Mr. Nice Guy. Maine's Bureau of Highway Safety, its federal counterpart and other safety organizations have been getting the word out to drivers that the law changes as of today so first-time violators can get $50 tickets. Second violations can bring $125 fines, and third and subsequent offenses can lead to $250 fines. Since September, violators have gotten only warnings. Previously, motorists had to be pulled over for separate violations if they were to be cited for failing to use seat belts. Now, Maine becomes the 26th state with a primary safety belt law, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Under the law, the driver is responsible for making sure that passengers 18 and younger are secured in their belts. After age 18, passengers and drivers are responsible for themselves. As April arrives, the main message is not that police will be aggressively looking for non-belted drivers; instead, the state is emphasizing that seat belts save lives while preventing losses, estimated at $33 million per year, to taxpayers in medical expenses and lost productivity, said the bureau's director, Lauren Stewart. One reason taxpayers bear a financial burden is that they have to cover medical costs of MaineCare recipients. State figures show that those enrolled in the public health care program and uninsured motorists are more likely than others to not wear safety belts, officials say. The bureau estimates that the law will save 10 lives and prevent 155 serious injuries per year in Maine, based on an expected 10 or 11 percent increase in seat belt use, Stewart said. That would bring compliance in Maine, which just a few years ago had the nation's third-worst rate, up to 90 percent, Stewart said. The national average is 82 percent compliance. Douglas Bracy, president of the Maine Chiefs of Police Association who has been at many an accident scene, puts the new law's effect in other terms. "In 30 years of law enforcement, I've seen what should have been minor accidents end up as tragedies," said Bracy, who is York's police chief. Bracy said motorists should be in the habit of buckling up, even for short trips. "Nobody goes out to get into an accident," he said. Officials also urge motorists not to be lulled into a false sense of safety because they are seated behind air bags. Air bags are designed to be most effective while safety belts are fastened, and may not deploy with the best effect if the motorist is unbelted, Bracy said. Some groups are harder to convince of the importance of wearing restraints. The hardest group to get to is male pickup truck drivers. ages 18-34, Stewart said. Next are teenagers, a group prone to risky behavior. Finally, people age 65 and over, who may have started driving before seat belts were widely used, simply have developed bad habits over the years. But there's another side to the picture. Young people have always been required and expected to use them. State officials say police will enforce the seat belt law as they would any other motor vehicle law during regular patrols. However, at key times through the year, they will participate in special enforcement efforts.