We have surveyed the offices of several of my colleagues in the Louisiana Legislature in addition to the major police departments in the state to determine if there have been any complaints of harassment associated with enforcement of this law. I am pleased to relate to you that the record is clear on this question, there have been no reports or complaints of harassment. We know that three out of four kids killed in crashes are riding unrestrained. That is why I led the effort in Maryland's Assembly to upgrade our state's safety belt law from secondary to primary enforcement. But since the law has passed, we've found no evidence of harassment.
Safety belts save children, no matter what color they are.
As a result of the efforts of Delegate Benson and others who helped enact Maryland's primary law, seat belt use increased from 70 percent to 83 percent within the first year after enactment. Affect Minorities African Americans, in particular, have much to gain from stronger seat belt laws. According to a recent national occupant protection usage survey, observed seat belt use among African Americans is more than ten percentage points lower than the national average. This low level of usage, coupled with the tendency for African Americans and Hispanic Americans to increase their seat belt usage to a greater extent than whites following an upgrade to primary enforcement, makes the potential health and safety gains to the black community even greater. Youth, of any racial or ethnic group, have a much higher risk of being involved in a crash than do adult members of that group.