Arrive
Alive: Seatbelt Safety in
The local Turning Point
partnership in Jackson County, Oklahoma successfully advocated passing a local
seat belt ordinance. The ordinance passed
The intended outcome of the
ordinance was that local police officers would be allowed to stop and ticket
persons not wearing seatbelts. As a
result of this local ordinance we expected to see awareness levels increase as
well as an increase in our compliance rates.
We also expected a decrease in injuries and fatalities from vehicle
accidents.
Policy Initiation
Oklahoma Highway Patrol and
the local Police Department presented the local Turning Point partnership with
data showing the significance of the problem in our community. The data including local seat belt compliance
rates compared to surrounding counties as well as the state. We also looked at motor vehicle fatality and
injury rates for our county compared to counties similar to ours.
Public Health Agency Roles
Staff from the local Jackson
County Health Department (
Major Partners
Major partners in this effort
were local Law Enforcement including Oklahoma Highway Patrol, local physicians,
the local Turning Point Partnership, and a community member who lost his son in
a traffic accident because a seatbelt was not in use.
Official Support
Officials who supported this
initiative included some of the local city council men and women, Oklahoma
Highway Patrol Commander, County Medical Director, Chief of Police, County
Health Department Administrator, and members of the local Board of Health
Results from the Policy
A comparative analysis (one
year before the ordinance and one year after) indicates a difference in
compliance rate, injury rate and fatality rate.
Injury and fatality rates have decreased and the compliance rate of
seatbelt use has increased. The passage
of the local ordinance has also empowered the local police department to apply
for grants, which have allowed them to hire an officer dedicated to seatbelt
compliance.
Lessons Learned
Experts in injury prevention
and law enforcement could not get this ordinance passed without the help of a
local partnership. The involvement of
the whole community made the difference in passing this new ordinance. And one man’s personal story of loss
solidified the policy change.
Opposition
There was some opposition
to the local ordinance. The opposition
came primarily from a couple of the councilmen.
They felt that it is their "right" to not wear a
seatbelt. We were aware of their
position prior to approaching the Council.
We had to present our "case" at two different council
meetings.
We dealt with their
opposition by the following:
1. Showed them results of a
community assessment where the residents of the community specifically
identified lack of seatbelt use as one of the top five risky behaviors in the
community.
2. Brought in experts from
our partnership to speak on the importance of seat belt usage and the effect
policy can have on behaviors.
3. Invited a local dad to
"remind" the Councilmen of his experience (i.e. losing his son
because he wasn't wearing a seatbelt).
As
a result one Councilman still voted against the ordinance, but the others voted
in favor.
Submitted By
Brandie O’Connor
Regional Turning Point
Consultant
Oklahoma State Department of
Health
401 W. Tamarack
(580) 482-7308
(580) 477-2763 FAX