Safety drive buckles down
on seat-belt law offenders
■Accidents involving
motorists without seat belts
on cost Americans $14.3
billion each year
By Josh Ryneal
Oregon Daily Emerald
The Lane County Sheriff’s Of
fice ended a week-long traffic en
forcement blitz on Monday, dur
ing which they tried to target
drivers who ignore seat-belt laws.
Officers waited along roads and
patrolled highways, hoping to
make motorists realize the risk of
driving unbuckled, Patrol
Sergeant Steve Broome said.
“We have been working with
two programs — the 3 Flags Seat
Belt Enforcement Program and
Operation ABC — to make sure
that seat-belt laws are enforced,”
Broome said.
The 3 Flags program, which is
primarily implemented on the
West Coast and Canada, provides
federal grants to pay officers over
time to enforce seat-belt and other
safety violations. Operation Amer
ica Buckles up Children (ABC)
utilizes partnerships between law
enforcement agencies nationwide
and the National Highway Safety
Administration.
The Lane County Sheriff’s Of
fice has been a part of the 3 Flags
program for three years, and has
been a member of Operation ABC
since its inception in 1997.
“These programs are key to sav
ing lives and preventing critical
injuries,” Broome said.
According to a National Safety
Council study, Americans pay
$14.3 billion per year in injury-re
lated costs incurred by motorists
not wearing seat belts, and 60 per
cent of children who die in vehi
cle crashes are unrestrained.
Broome said that the sheriffs of
fice picked the week of May 22-29
because it contained the first holi
day weekend of the summer.
“We see a large volume of traffic
this time of year, and we want to
do saturation patrols to do our part
for this program,” Broome said.
Broome said that deputies tried
to target a specific area and either
patrol it or park by the side of the
road and observe motorists.
“It has been a very successful ef
fort,” he said.
Law enforcement
The Lane County Sheriff's Office
participated during the Memorial
Day weekend in two national pro
grams aimed at enforcing required
seat belt usage including:
3 Flags, which pays officers over
time wages to enforce traffic safety
laws
America Buckles up Children,
which coordinates efforts between
law enforcement agencies and the
National Highway Safety Adminis
tration.
SOU RCE: Lane County Sheriff’s Office
The Eugene Police Department
is also part of the 3 Flags program
and has been involved in a two
month effort to enforce seat-belt
laws around the city.
EPD spokesman Dave Poppe
said that while the program is con
sidered routine enforcement, they
have “written literally hundreds
of citations so far.”
“Eugene is already pretty good
about wearing seat belts,” he said.
“We have something like a 94 per
cent compliance rate.”
CRIME
WATCH
Reported May 10through May 20
May 16, Disorderly Conduct, 1300
block Patterson Street: Man wander
ing in traffic threatened police when
they tried to take him into custody
May 16, Prohibited Skateboarding,
1300 block Alder Street: Skate
boarder was riding in a prohibited
area and ignored police orders to
stop
May 16, Criminal Possession of a
Forged Instrument, University
parking lot number 42: Forged
University parking permit
May 19, Theft by Mail, 2000 block
Harris Street: Two checks stolen from
outgoing mail
May 19, Criminal Mischief , Erb
Memorial Union: Suspect arrested
for vandalizing parked bicycles along
1300 block Alder Street
SOU RCE. Eugene Police Department
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