Unbelted Crash Victims Cost Virginians Millions of Dollars

                Lawmakers and Business Leaders Urge Passage Of
                       Primary Seat Belt Bill (SB 1325)

    RICHMOND, Va., Feb. 10 -- Virginians pay higher taxes,
medical and auto insurance premiums and higher fees for emergency medical
services as a result of the more than two million Virginians who do not wear
seat belts. According to the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance
Services, Medicaid costs for head and spinal cord injuries as a result of
unbelted car crashes in the Commonwealth totaled $7.5 million in fiscal year
2002 only for acute care costs.
    "When Virginians don't buckle up, we all suffer the consequences," said
Senator William C. Mims patron of SB 1325. "It is the responsibility of
Virginia lawmakers to represent the best interests of the Commonwealth. The
General Assembly should not ignore an opportunity to save countless lives and
millions of dollars each year."
    Primary seat belt laws have been shown to increase seat belt use 10-15
percentage points in the year following implementation, translating to
millions of dollars saved in Virginia each year. The bill will advance to the
House Transportation Committee on February 11, 2003, where a similar measure
failed to pass after a tie vote last month.
    Because employers absorb the added cost of lost productivity, health
insurance and workers compensation, everyone feels the impact in their
salaries, bonuses and healthcare premiums. According to the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), workers involved in motor vehicle
crashes lose an estimated $61 billion in wages and fringe benefits annually,
and employers pay $31 billion in insurance costs annually for highway crashes.
The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that on-the-job crashes cost
employers almost $22,000 per crash and $110,000 per injury.
    "The nearly 30 percent of Virginians who choose not to buckle up are
helping to deplete the state budget -- forcing cuts to vital state programs,"
said Delegate Joe. T. May, patron of a House bill that was defeated in the
Transportation Committee on a tie 10-10 vote.  "I urge my fellow members of
the House Transportation Committee to make primary enforcement the law."
    "When a person is injured in a motor vehicle crash, private insurance,
Medicaid, Medicare, the injured person or the victim's family pay for the
hospital costs," said Delegate James F. Almand (D - Arlington). "Because these
costs are higher for unbelted victims, everyone pays more."
    Insurance companies frequently assume the financial burden of injuries
requiring long-term treatment and care and pass the costs on to customers as
higher premiums. It is estimated that each driver who buckles up is paying an
additional auto insurance premium of $40 per year to cover the costs of those
who do not.
    "Our insurance premium has increased 110 percent, more than $250,000, yet
our drivers have not had a major crash since 1999," said Suzanne Scalone, Vice
President of CXPress Trucking in Richmond, Virginia. "These costs affect our
bottom line, and get passed on to the consumer in higher rates."
    "We were left with $2.5 million in medical bills as a result of my son's
three-and-a-half-year coma, paid mostly by the state of Virginia," said Patty
French, co-chair of the Virginia Coalition for Child Safety. Patty's son Greg
was in an automobile crash a half-mile from home, suffering only a black eye.
The impact caused severe brain trauma and his eventual death. "Most Virginia
families couldn't possibly afford these expenses on their own -- a primary
seat belt law would send a message to our youth to buckle up, preventing
needless injuries and millions of dollars in medical bills."
    SB 1325, a primary enforcement seat belt bill that passed by a 24-16 vote
in the Virginia Senate, would bring the state's seat belt law in line with
every other traffic violation, allowing police officers to ticket a driver
solely for not wearing a seat belt.

    The Virginia Coalition for Child Safety is a network of concerned parents,
community activists, medical professionals, educators, law enforcement
officers and political leaders determined to create a safe environment for our
children.