New primary seatbelt law cited for dramatic drop in Wisconsin traffic deaths in July

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New primary seatbelt law cited for dramatic drop in Wisconsin traffic deaths in July

An article in the Madison WI Capitol Times, there is good news on the fatality front for that state in the first month of their new primary seatbelt law. July was the first full month where police could pull over drivers for drivers and/or front seat passangers not wearing a seatbelt. 

There were a total of 44 deaths on Wisconsin’s roads in July 2009. Compared to July 2008 it’s 18 fewer deaths, a dramatic 30% drop, and even more dramatic 44% drop over the average for the previous 5 years in July. The Dennis Hughes, chief of safety programs for the Wisconsin DOT’s Bureau of Transportation Safety was quoted as saying:

“July is typically a high-fatality month so the drop in traffic deaths is quite astonishing. We don’t have enough data yet to theorize why this (the drop in deaths) happened, but it’s worth noting that July was the first month for primary safety belt enforcement in Wisconsin, and we feel more people may be buckling up as a result,”

This is just another step in what’s turning out to be the summer when we “finally got it”. While people are quick to point to this reason or that reason, no doubt, the consistent results we’re seeing from one state to the next that has newly enacted primary seatbelt laws and at the same time continuing to ramp up the “Drunken Driving, Over the Limit, Under Arrest” campaign that has become a part of our tv conciousness this year both are the biggest reasons why this is happening.

Everyone has an opinion, there are those that cite soley the economic downturn for these stats, but as I pointed out in the article Overall traffic fatalities are down again in 2009 1st quarter, the NHTSA metric of deaths per 100 million Vehicle Miles Traveled (or VMT) disproves the “sole cause” argument of the economic downturn some would have us believe. There are no such metrics in these stats, none the less, it’s a more dramatic downturn than many, and certainly is because of a number of causes. Fewer people are dying and less families are grieving, that’s the real bottom line.

Now is not the time to rest on our laurels though. If you have not read our latest call to action, please do so and please do contact your Senators and Congressman in your support of the cited porion of that bill. What we see here is only the beginning IF those two componants of the bill pass.