Drivers of sports cars and pickup trucks are much less likely to be buckled, she said. In certain neighborhoods, it appears to be the elderly drivers, not the younger ones, who fail to buckle up, she said. And police officers often are not buckled, she said. Of two Hampton police officers who passed through the survey intersection off Mercury Boulevard on Wednesday, only one was wearing his seatbelt, Lane said. Consultant Porter even sent a memo to the police departments reminding them of the presence of observers in the neighborhood, she said.
State code exempts police officers from wearing seatbelts in the course of their duties.
However, the Newport News Police Department has a policy requiring officers to wear them, spokesperson Dierdre Raines said. Hampton police officers are required or encouraged to wear seatbelts, depending on the circumstances, spokesperson Cpl. Jimmie Wideman said. Survey intersections are not named to keep the results from getting skewed, but drivers who notice the observers often take heed and buckle up. You ll see them right before they get to you, putting them on, Lane said.