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#Transportation Safety Occupant Protection

Click It or Ticket-Enforcement

Oregon’s safety belt overtime enforcement program is a statewide selective traffic enforcement program (STEP) that seeks to reduce the number of motor vehicle-related deaths and injuries by increasing public awareness of laws regarding the three most prevalent factors contributing to traffic crash injuries: safety restraint use, speed, and impaired drivers. Over one hundred city, county and state police agencies utilize safety belt overtime during three two-week “blitz” periods annually. ODOT's Transportation Safety Division provides scheduling and instructional materials to participating agencies prior to each blitz. Participating agencies are asked to conduct public awareness/media activities during the weeks prior to and following each blitz. Observed belt use rates, number of enforcement contacts, and public information activities measure Campaign success. Officers are encouraged to acquire advanced specialized training in correct use of child safety systems, and to nurture community awareness of traffic safety issues generally.

During the last previous grant year, $580,604 in federal safety belt overtime expenditure brought 27.609 total enforcement contacts and paid officers to assist at child seat checks and other local educational events. Total overtime contacts were as follows: 7,815 safety belt, 513 child seat, 5,120 speeding, 113 DUII, 1,138 suspensions, 227 felonies, and 12,653 other violations. To put these efforts and expenditures into perspective, consider that safety belts are 45-65% effective in preventing fatalities and that the average combined societal costs of one traffic death were estimated to be $1,090,000 (National Safety Council, 2002.)