$15.7 Million Available to Indiana if it Includes Pick-Up Trucks in its Seat Belt Law

Seat Belt Exemption for Pick-up Trucks Results in Drastically Lower Seat Belt Use, According to Experts

INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 30 -- Indiana is eligible for a $15,738,565 grant if it eliminates an exemption in its seat belt law that allows pick-up truck occupants to ride unbelted, and strengthens its primary seat belt law to cover all vehicles.

Indiana has a primary law, but it only covers cars. Any vehicle with a pick-up truck plate exempts the driver from the seat belt law. Any vehicle that can carry cargo qualifies as a pick-up and can get pick-up plates, including: minivans, SUVs and station wagons. Pick-up truck plates comprise 30 percent of all plates issued in Indiana.

According to the 2005 observational survey, Indiana's seat belt use stands at 81.2 percent. However, belt use among pick up truck drivers is significantly lower at 56 percent.

"As a nation, we have reached a major milestone in achieving 82 percent seat belt use, but most of the states with the highest belt use rates have armed law enforcement officers with the best tool to save lives -- a primary seat belt law that covers all vehicles," said Phil Haseltine, Executive Director of the Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign of the National Safety Council. "It is our hope that these funds will add that extra incentive, especially at a time when budgets are tight, for Indiana legislators to heed the call of law enforcement, the safety community, and most importantly, its citizens, to enact a stronger law that will protect occupants in all vehicles."

The surface transportation legislation signed by the President into law on August 10th provides one-time grants equal to 4.75 times a state's annual (Section 402) highway safety allocation to states that pass primary enforcement seat belt laws covering all passenger vehicles or, absent a primary enforcement law, achieve seat belt use of 85 percent or greater for two consecutive years. States having primary enforcement laws prior to December 2002 receive smaller one-time grants.

"It is clear that primary enforcement laws are an effective tool to help convince the minority of motorists who don't buckle up to wear seat belts more frequently," Haseltine added.

The Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign, a program of the National Safety Council, is a public/private partnership of automotive manufacturers, insurance companies, child safety seat manufacturers, government agencies, health professionals and child health and safety organizations. The goal of the Campaign is to increase the proper use of safety belts and child safety seats and to inform the public about how to maximize the lifesaving capabilities of air bags while minimizing the risks.