Seatbelt checks - important or irritant?

Gus Philpott
Woodstock Advocate
November 20, 2009

Do seatbelt checks along a state highway in town help lower fatalities, or are they just a major pain in the rear and irritant to drivers?

This morning Woodstock PD had three police cars and five officers assigned to a seatbelt detail on Route 47, north of McConnell Road.

The stated purpose of this "initiative" is driver education.

Wouldn't an electronic sign on the roadway shoulder reading, "Fasten your seatbelt NOW" have much the same driver educational value? And it would be a whole lot cheaper for the police department and for the drivers.

How much is a seatbelt ticket these days? $50? $75? What do you think? Should seatbelt violations be a Primary Enforcement law?

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