Seat-Belt Use

Rand J. Feura (Letters, Jan. 10) makes an excellent point about the news media including information about seat-belt use when reporting on an accident.

We have advocated that practice since the legislation came into effect. The problem has been with the accident report forms used by law enforcement. In the past there was never a place to note whether a person was wearing a seat belt, therefore that information has not consistently been available to reporters when writing their stories.

However, the good news is that effective this July the California Highway Patrol and most major law enforcement agencies will begin to use a revised form that will include a seat-belt information section. Hopefully, we will see a significant increase in the use of this vital information by the news media the second half of this year.

It’s our belief that if people see it in print, in real life stories, they will begin to understand that seat belts really do save lives.

KEITH R. WELCH

Executive Director

Traffic Safety Now, California

Sacramento