By Patrick Mcardle
THE RUTLAND HERALD
Law-enforcement officers in Rutland and Washington counties want drivers to be safe on the roads but remind them it’s not just a friendly suggestion as their awareness campaign suggests with the name, “Click It or Ticket.”
According to a press release from the Chittenden County Sheriff’s Office, this year marks the 20th anniversary for Vermont in participating in the national Click It or Ticket Campaign.
Lt. Kevin Geno, of the Rutland County Sheriff’s Department, who is the county’s highway safety coordinator, said officers are attempting to achieve compliance through education.
He noted the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had started to place a flurry of advertisements to promote awareness about the importance of wearing a seat belt while driving.
Capt. Bret Meyer, of the Washington County Sheriff’s Department, said there would be three elements of the enhanced enforcement patrols: Officers will be watching for people in vehicles who aren’t wearing seatbelts or safety restraints: drivers who are distracted, sometimes by using cellphones or other handheld devices; and drivers who are impaired.
Meyer said he was very familiar with the issues because he had just reviewed data necessary for a grant application he was preparing. He said he saw statistics that indicated there were still people being hurt because they were not wearing seat belts during a crash.
One of the areas in Washington County where that problem is most prevalent is Barre Town, Meyer said.
“Unfortunately, we’re seeing crashes and the drivers still aren’t buckled, and we’re still having to send this message. We’d love to have zero fatalities within the state but unfortunately, we are continuing to see our numbers climbing,” Meyer said.
Geno said he was very concerned that Vermont has recorded more than 20 highway deaths so far in 2022 which he said was the “highest it’s been in years.”
“You would probably have to go back to the 1990s to find numbers like that,” he said.
In more than half of those incidents, the person killed was not wearing a seat belt.
“Well, what’s the excuse?” Geno asked.
Geno and Meyer pointed out that failure to wear a seat belt is a secondary violation in Vermont, so it’s not enough of a reason to initiate a traffic stop.
Geno said he didn’t have to look far to find an example of the importance of seat restraints.
According to a report from the Vermont State Police, there was a rollover crash on May 16 of a 2002 Toyota Tundra driven by Matthew A. Hallock, 31, of Montpelier, on Interstate 89. Police said four people were thrown from the pickup, including a 4-year-old girl, who was not in a child safety seat. All four were taken to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center for treatment of what police believed were serious injuries.
“I don’t know what it’s going to take for people to get the message that seat belts save lives. The fact of the matter is, if you’re not wearing one, your chances of survival in a crash is very low,” Geno said.
As someone who teaches driver education classes, Geno said he asks students whether they know anyone who won’t wear a seat belt. He said hands always go up. Students will say that maybe it’s a parent, who says it’s only during short trips, close to home, so it’s “no big deal.”
“Yes, it is a big deal because the restrained person is going to stay in their position most of the time but that person that’s rolling around loose, that’s what happens. If you don’t go out of the car, you’re going to be hitting everybody in the car, especially in a crash or in a roll,” he said.
Geno said he suspects one of the reasons drivers may be lax about seat belt laws right now is that people got used to low-traffic during the pandemic.
“All these people felt comfortable because there was less traffic on the road doing poor judgment like speeding and using cellphones. All these things. Seat belts, everything. They just felt more comfortable because, ‘Oh, there’s less traffic on the road.’ But now the traffic is back, and we’re still seeing the poor driving behaviors,” he said.
Geno said drivers can expect to see law-enforcement “all over the place” in Rutland County during the Memorial Day weekend.
“We’ll be working, trying to get into every town in Rutland County. We’ll be focusing on our high-crash areas and try to reduce the serious bodily injury and fatal crashes,” he said.
Geno said the law-enforcement officers people will see patroling this weekend are not there to ruin someone’s holiday.
“The whole goal is to have people buckle up. Follow the speed limits. Get off the cellphone. Things like that because they’re all distracting behavior that are causing these crashes,” he said.
patrick.mcardle @rutlandherald.com
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