Published on Wednesday, May 3, 2006
in the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

Troopers plan `buckle up' safety drive aimed at pickup trucks

Fort Lauderdale · Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Roger Reyes constantly sees the proof that seat belts work. In crashes, survivors tend to be buckled up. Yet many pickup truck drivers and passengers fail to take that simple step.

"Drivers tend to feel more secure in a larger vehicle, but the laws of physics prove otherwise," said Reyes, an 11-year veteran on Florida's Turnpike. This week and next, pickup truck drivers and passengers who are not wearing seat belts will feel the pinch of troopers' citations during a statewide "Buckle Up In Your Truck" enforcement operation. The Florida Department of Transportation campaign aims to convince violators through media announcements, posters, events -- and tickets topping $70, if necessary.

Florida had the highest number of pickup truck fatalities among the eight Southeastern states, with 343 deaths in 2004, according to national data cited by the campaign.

All eight states, which reported a total of 1,782 deaths in 2004, are kicking off similar initiatives during this month of high-volume family travel.

"It's amazing to get to a crash scene and see somebody wearing their seat belt still sitting in the seat, with very minor injuries," said Earl Bakke, a Lake Worth Police Department traffic homicide investigator.

Getting the message out to South Florida residents is especially crucial. Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach rank among the state's 10 counties where pickup truck riders not wearing seat belts die most often, according to a 2004 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration survey. Of the 343 people who died in pickup truck accidents in Florida that year, 71 percent were not wearing seat belts.

Officials are focusing on pickup truck occupants because in Florida, fewer than 62 percent wore their seat belts, compared with almost 75 percent in passenger cars and nearly 80 percent in vans and SUVs, a 2005 NHTSA survey found.

"The simple step of buckling up is the single best defense against ejection and will increase your odds of survival in light trucks by as much as 80 percent," said Susie Kolb, a Florida traffic safety liaison.