Officers step up efforts to get people to wear seat belts

Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

Tonya Papanikolas reportingMemorial Day is still a week away, but there are a lot of people who are going to be out on the roads between now and then. UHP has already begun its "Click it or Ticket" campaign, and drivers are going to see $45 fines if they are not wearing seat belts.

A tragic accident in Provo Canyon points to the importance of wearing a seatbelt. Yesterday, two children died in that accident, and the Utah Highway Patrol (UHP) says it could possibly have made a difference if they were belted in.

Officers step up efforts to get people to wear seat belts

Seven-year-old Daniel Lopez and 8-year-old Jennifer Lopez were ejected from the red car they were riding in yesterday after troopers say their mother turned left in front of a white truck. Both of the children died at the scene.

Troopers told Eyewitness News they don't believe the children were wearing seat belts, which is required in Utah for anyone under 19.

"How terribly sad a situation, because there could have been a chance they survived had they been belted," said Rolayne Fairclough, spokeswoman for AAA Utah.

The Department of Public Safety says unbelted crash occupants are 33 more times likely to die in a crash than if they're wearing a seat belt. Part of that reason is you have a higher chance of being ejected. Eighty-two percent of those not wearing a seat belt in a crash were fully ejected from their cars.

"If you can stay in that passenger compartment, you have a far better chance of surviving a crash," Fairclough said.

In Utah, patrol officers can't pull over an adult for not wearing a seat belt unless he or she has committed another traffic violation.

Around Memorial Day weekend, officers from around the state want people to make sure they're buckling up. "It's a proven fact seat belts do help save lives, and we just want to get the word out there," said Officer Michael Street, with the Draper Police Department.

Draper police visited Juan Diego High School today, where they scanned students' and parents' cars for drivers not wearing seat belts. "It's a way to get at the kids at a younger age and help educate them to the safety of a seat belt," Street said.

While it's hard to make everyone listen, crashes like yesterday's may just be the most real reminder of what not wearing your seat belts can do. "You can just see how one instance can impact so many lives for so long," Street said.

This week, officers plan to keep a sharper eye out for drivers and passengers not wearing seat belts when they are pulled over for other violations. It's a $45 fine if you don't have one on.

E-mail: tpapanikolas@ksl.com