New seat belt law goes into effect today; hope is it... -
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Published on: 1/10/2007
Last Visited: 2/20/2008
"In this troop alone, we have had a total of 95 fatalities," said Capt. C. N. Williamson of South Carolina Highway Patrol Troop 7, which includes Orangeburg County.
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Williamson said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has estimated that a change to a primary law will increase seat belt usage in the state by 11 percent.The most recent safety belt survey by S.C. Department of Public Safety shows about 70 percent of South Carolinians are buckling up.
NHTSA estimates that the 11 percent increase could prevent approximately 64 fatalities each year, 650 serious injuries and save approximately ,140 million in taxpayer dollars.
"They (motorists) need to listen to that," Williamson said.
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Whatever it takes to convince you to put on that seat belt, that's what we're going to do," Williamson said.