Tougher seat belt law garnering student support

By David J. Craig

Corrie Barnett was in junior high school in 1992 when a friend was killed in an auto accident in their hometown of Raleigh, N.C. Christopher Keith, 19, was thrown violently from the backseat of a car when it struck a tree. Police said that alcohol was a factor in the accident and that Keith had not been wearing a seat belt.

Barnett (SAR'03) hasn't forgotten the tragic loss. For the past four years she has been educating her peers about the dangers of drinking and driving and the importance of wearing seat belts, and now is secretary of the BU chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. On Monday, March 27, she testified before a special committee of the Massachusetts Senate in support of a law proposed by Governor Paul Cellucci that would allow police officers to stop vehicles if they see a passenger age 18 or younger not wearing a seat belt.

"The fact that Chris could have survived simply if he had been wearing a seat belt was just horrible," says Barnett. "The sad thing is that what he did wasn't illegal, because in North Carolina at the time the law required only people in a front seat to wear seat belts. But that doesn't change the fact that he's dead."

Currently, Massachusetts police officers can ticket an unbelted driver who is pulled over for another offense, but can stop a car specifically for a seat belt violation only if they see a passenger age 12 or younger not wearing a belt. Cellucci's proposal was issued last fall in the wake of several gruesome accidents that claimed the lives of Massachusetts teenagers, and the state Senate committee hearing testimony on the proposal is expected to issue a report to the full Senate next month.

Ralph Hingson, an SPH professor and chairman of the SPH department of social and behavioral sciences, estimates that if implemented, the law would prevent about 25 deaths and 4,000 to 6,000 serious injuries next year. Hingson, who compiles statistics annually on seat belt use for the state, also projects that the law would increase the total rate of seat belt use in Massachusetts from 51 percent to about 70 percent, which is the national average.

"We know that seat belts cut the risk of injury and death in half," says Hingson, who also testified in favor of the proposal Monday. "So anything we can do to increase the level of belt use will save lives. What's particularly worrisome about the current situation is that only 35 percent of 16-to-20-year-olds in Massachusetts are wearing seat belts, even though they suffer two to three times the rate of injuries and death of any age group."

Corrie Barnett (SAR'03) (left), secretary of the BU chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, testified before a special committee of the Massachusetts Senate Monday, March 27, in favor of a law that would empower police to stop automobiles in which anyone age 18 or younger is not wearing a seat belt. She is pictured here with Cheri Vircillo (GRS'00), a senior staff assistant at the Wellness Center and advisor to the student members of MADD. Photo by Kalman Zabarsky

At BU, Barnett and a small group of students are doing their best to change that. Last September, a chapter of MADD was launched at BU, the first ever at a college or university. The 15-member group is often present at the GSU Link, passing out information about auto safety and encouraging passersby to try on a pair of Fatal Vision Goggles, a virtual reality tool that simulates the visual effects of drunkenness. The group has also set up tables at public events such as the recent New England Auto Show at the Bay Side Expo.

"Our main goal is to create awareness on campus about drinking and driving deaths," says Barnett. "But seat belts are a major issue too. One of the things we let people know is that seat belts are your best defense against drunk drivers." Nationwide, only one in five people killed in an accident involving a drunk driver are wearing a seat belt, according to Hingson.

Education is the key
Wellness Center Director Carolyn Norris, whose staff advises the MADD student members, says that one of her goals in helping to bring the organization to BU is to encourage students to become involved in implementing policy change. For Barnett, that meant speaking in front of lawmakers about what for her is a highly personal issue. In a short speech, she argued that a tougher seat belt law is an important way to battle the damage caused by drunk drivers and to prevent senseless deaths such as that of her friend Chris.

"I did it to put a face on the issue," she says. "That was important for me, because I'm one of the ones who will be most dramatically affected by a new law. The way I see it is that it's a matter of life and death, and no one really argues that wearing a seat belt is not a good idea. I'm confident that those who oppose the law will come around when they see the difference it makes."

For 11 months in 1985 and 1986, Massachusetts had a so-called primary seat belt law, which empowered police to stop any car with an occupant not wearing a belt. The law was repealed, however, due to the opposition of activists and lawmakers who felt that it violated basic personal liberties. At present 17 states have such a law.

Hingson, who supports a primary seat belt law for all ages, thinks that Cellucci's current proposal is a step in the right direction. "Some people say that teens think they're invincible and that no law or education will change their attitudes, but that's not true," he says. "Between 1982 and 1998, there was a 59 percent decline in alcohol-related traffic fatalities among 15-to-20-year-olds, due mainly to the drinking age being set at 21 and the zero-tolerance law for those under 21 who drive after drinking any alcohol."

Barnett says that her peers rarely argue about the need to wear a seat belt when she brings the issue up. "It's not a matter of convincing people it's a good idea," she says. "No one argues when you tell them it's necessary. It's just a matter of reminding them, and getting them to follow through. That's where the law would come into play."

"In fact, an incredible number of students I meet have had experiences similar to mine," she continues, noting that while she was in high school, another friend suffered irreversible brain damage after being struck by a drunk driver. "Losing a friend in an accident isn't something that's at all abnormal for someone my age."