Nov 30
Extra Law Enforcement To Provide Seat-Belt Tickets
The Seattle P-I reported earlier this month that 67 law enforcement agencies around the state will provide more officers through December 7 for seat-belt emphasis patrols. Officers will be on the roads day and night looking for motorists and passengers who don't buckle up.
The Washington Traffic Safety Commission spent over half a million dollars on this year's seat-belt campaign, with roughly $300,000 going to personnel for enforcement of the state's seat-belt law.
Officials emphasize that seat-belt enforcement is not about issuing tickets but about saving lives. Whether or not you believe that, and even if you believe that the state should not be mandating whether you or others wear a seat-belt (a valid opinion), there is certainly costs to all taxpayers when uninsured individuals get in collisions and the state has to pay for their medical care. This alone should be reason enough to wear a seat belt. If you choose not to, expect to be pulled over.
