| Seat Belt Law May Lower Deaths For 3rd Ranked S.C. |
| The number of deaths on South Carolina
roadways is already more than double from this time last year. Since
January 1, sixteen people have died, 14 of those were not wearing
seat belts. Some lawmakers say a mandatory seat belt law could save
lives. State law requires seatbelts to be worn, but officers are limited on how they can enforce that law. With the exception of minors, they can only ticket people for not wearing a seatbelt if they are stopped for a different violation. South Carolina ranks third highest in the nation for traffic deaths and some say a law allowing more enforcement will save lives. “This is actually the front hood of the car,” Megan Boykin said as she pointed to a photograph of a crumpled Honda Accord. Just a month before junior prom and her 17th birthday, Boykin's life was shattered on her way to school. “I hydroplaned, then I overcorrected and hit a car head on,” she said. Among her injuries, whiplash, a fractured ankle, and severe burns across her chest and abdomen. “We later came to call them my badge of honor from wearing my seatbelt because it looked just like my seat belt. Boykin hopes the State Senate will pass a primary seat belt law this year. She sent a letter of support to the author of the bill, Representative Joel Lourie. “It important that the people of this state speak to their representatives, speak to their senators and say ‘look this is important.’ We're talking about fatalities, we're talking about saving lives, we're talking about preventing injuries,” Lourie said. Lourie says the benefits far outweigh complaints from opposition that a primary seat belt law infringes on individual rights. “It will increase seat belt usage, it will decrease critical injuries, and it will cut back on exorbitant medical costs associated with not wearing a seat belt,” he said. As was true in Boykin's case, the driver she hit wasn’t buckled up and was more seriously injured, which meant higher medical bills. But with or without a law, Boykin says she'll be wearing her seatbelt. “People telling you that you wouldn't have lived had you not worn your seatbelt definitely put things into perspective about what you want to accomplish,” she said. Representative Lourie says if the bill passes, it could save more than 100 lives and $50 to $100 million in health care costs every year. |