BY ANDY TAYLOR
Montgomery County Chronicle
Montgomery County has a distinction that David Corp wants to erase.
As a law enforcement liaison for the Kansas Department of Transportation, Corp travels the state to alert law enforcement officers and the media about major issues involving Kansas highways and laws.
What’s on Corp’s radar screen that concerns Montgomery County?
Seat belts — those safety harness devices that have been proven to save lives.
Just where does Montgomery County rank among the 20 biggest counties in Kansas?
“Dead last,” he said bluntly during a visit with area law enforcement officers last week in Coffeyville.
According to seat belt usage surveys — conducted each year for the past five years — for the 20 top Kansas counties, Montgomery County ranks 19th out of 20 among adults who use seat belts. The survey shows a mean of 60.26, trailing only Crawford County, which has a mean of 56.37.
And, when it comes to the use of child safety belts, Montgomery County falls to the bottom of the 20 biggest counties as only 49 percent of survey respondents say they use child safety belts.
The only ray of positive news concerning Montgomery Countians’ usage of seat belts is that the number of people who “click it” is growing. For example, in 2005, the child safety belt usage in Montgomery County was 41 percent while the mean score for adults who used seat belts that same year was 49.41.
Regardless of the growing numbers of county residents who use seat belts, the overall response is still poor, Corp said.
That’s why he told law enforcement officers on Thursday of the importance of seat belt law enforcement.
“The key to improving the numbers of people who use seat belts is stronger law enforcement,” he said.
Has seat belt usage been shown to save lives? Corp said the evidence is overwhelming . . . and indisputible. There were 464 vehicle fatalities in Kansas in 2006 — a year in which seat belt usage was about 73 percent statewide. By 2008, the number of fatalities dropped to 383 while seat belt usage rose to 77 percent.
Corp talked about several programs, including one in Crawford County, where teenagers are told about proper seat belt usage. The students are rewarded when they sign pledges to use seat belts.
“It’s imperative that we get drivers to know about seat belts while they are young,” said Corp. “It’ll make it a part of their driving habit.”
However, Corp said “basic, old-fashioned law enforcement” could be the greatest deterrent to seat belt violators, he said.
In Kansas, a seat belt violation for adult drivers and passengers is regarded as a secondary violation after a driver has been cited for a primary offense, such as speeding or avoiding stop signs.
In other words, a law enforcement officer cannot stop an adult motorist or passenger solely because of a seat belt violation.
The fine for an adult violation is $30.
However, not using seat belts or a booster seat for children is considered a primary violation, and a $50 fine will be assessed.
Attempts have been made in the Kansas Legislature to make all seat belt violations considered a primary violation. However, those attempts have been stalled by lawmakers who feel that seat belts are a personal choice.
Corp disagrees.
“It’s not just a safety issue, it’s a quality of life issue,” said Corp, emphasizing that seat belt usage is required for drivers and passengers of all ages.
Representatives from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department, Coffeyville Police Department, City of Coffeyville, Caney Police Department, City of Caney, Kansas Highway Patrol and various media outlets were in attendance.
Corp noted that the Cherryvale Police Department, Independence Police Department and Montgomery County Attorney’s Office were invited — both by personal appearance and written invitation — to attend Thursday’s event. He noted that those three agencies have not responded to seat-belt seminars for the past two years.
BY ANDY TAYLOR
