Latest UPDATE 02/26/2009:
SB 5 is in a House Agriculture sub-committee. Following are the sub-committee members:
Tom McCall, Chairman
Terry England, Vice Chairman
Gene Maddox, Secretary
Committee Members
Ellis Black, Jon Burns, Winfred Dukes, Carl Epps, Penny Houston, Lynmore James, Kevin Levitas, Billy Maddox, DuBose Porter
Update 02/24/2009
2007 CODES DATA FACT SHEET (DOWNLOAD THE .pdf FACT SHEET HERE)
Key points from the new data:
- From 2002-2007, Georgia experienced a 14 % increase in the number of fatalities in motor vehicle crashes involving pickup trucks.
- Rural Georgians face a greater risk of being injured or killed in a traffic crash.
- While only 18% of Georgians live in rural areas, 37% of the total pickup truck fatalities occurred on rural roadways.
- Unrestrained pickup truck occupants are 37 times as likely to be killed as those restrained.
- Compared to restrained pickup truck occupants, unrestrained pickup truck occupants were 4 times as likely to be admitted to the Hospital ($65,000 avg. charge) instead of treated and released from the Emergency Room ($2,800 avg. charge). (Georgia CODES Data, 2005)
- 71% of pickup truck occupants were restrained compared with 91% of car occupants. (Georgia Observational Safety Belt Survey, June 2007)
Update 02/12/2009:
Senate Bill 5 passed today by a vote of 49 to 4. The bill will now go to the House for consideration.
Read about it in the AJC here.
Original Post 01/23/2009:
The Young Adult Driver Task Team (YADTT), part of the Governor’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan, has looked at Georgia's seatbelt exemption for pickup trucks many times in the past two years. The following facts and figures related to pickups are taken directly from our extensive research and officially published 2007-2008 recommendations. You can download a copy of the full document from the link at the top right of this web page.
As you are probably already aware, state agencies are prohibited from lobbying. However, we have collected the following facts to answer frequently asked questions about Georgia's seatbelt exemption in pickup trucks. These are taken directly from our research, which is properly cited in the full recommendations:
1) How does Georgia's current law rank?
Georgia is the last state in the nation to exempt an entire class of adult drivers and passengers from wearing seatbelts in pickup trucks.
2) How many lives does Georgia’s seatbelt exemption in pickup trucks cost us?
According to the Georgia Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System (CODES), if pickup truck restraint use rates were the same as the rates for other vehicles in Georgia, there would be 105 fewer deaths per year(NOTE: estimate is based on 2007 Georgia Crash Data released after the YADTT 2007-2008 recommendations were published). Additionally, the National Highway Safety Administration and the Georgia Department of Transportation estimate changing the law would prevent 300 injuries each year.
3) The exemption for adults doesn't affect teens and children, does it?
Although Georgia’s law does not exclude them, the adult exemption directly results in lower seatbelt usage rates by teens and children in pickup trucks. As occupants, teens and children do what their parents do. If the adult driver is buckled up, 92 percent of the time their children are buckled too. The impact of the exemption for adults becomes apparent when teens become drivers. In 2007, restraint use by 16-17 year-old teen drivers was a full 3.25% less in pickups than in other passenger vehicle types.
Additionally, the pickup exemption for adults reinforces a teen’s belief that crashes are survivable without wearing a seatbelt. A 2006 NHTSA study found that teenagers are likely to believe stories that people wearing safety belts are likely to be decapitated, or that unrestrained drivers or occupants are more likely to “walk away” from crashes when they are ejected from the vehicle. This is despite the fact that seatbelts increase the chance of survival by three times. Unfortunately, 64% of Georgia’s teen crash fatalities were unrestrained.
4) Wouldn’t a new seatbelt requirement impose a burden on farmers and those driving pickup trucks in rural areas?
The opposite is true—requiring seatbelts would protect farmers and those living in rural areas. In 2006, 515 people died on Georgia county roads compared to 418 on interstates and city streets combined. In fact, 7 out of 10 fatalities occur on two-way roads without dividers, barriers, or any separation. These rural roadways are arguably the most likely area for pickup trucks and include a higher incidence of severe crashes which include run off and rollover crashes. Additionally, rough terrain, less vehicle traffic, and longer times between the crash and time of discovery make the injury outcomes more severe. Another consideration is roadway geometrics; rural roads may have narrow lanes, less enforcement, limited sight distances, and lack of clear roadsides since many rural roads evolved from farm roads which have been upgraded to accommodate increased traffic volume and vehicle size.
5) If the law does pass this year, which part of the state will be impacted the most, South Georgia, North Georgia, or Metro areas?
Media coverage frequently cites South Georgia farmers as being "impacted" the most by a new seatbelt requirement. However, YADTT predicts that North Georgia may actually be impacted the most. YADTT investigated Georgia’s changing demographics as having a sustained influence on crash data. According to the U.S. Census housing unit estimate, the Peach State has 24 of the nation’s 100 fastest-growing counties. Those figures show that much of the state’s population increase is in Georgia’s Blue Ridge Mountain counties. The vehicle of choice there, both by observation and registration?...You guessed it: Pickup trucks. This region faces the challenges and issues of both a growing population and the roadway issues discussed in #4 above.
6) Is money the real reason to pass the legislation?
Requiring seatbelts in pickups is about Dollars and Sense—Yes, changing the law would instantly give the state about $4 million in federal highway funds. Georgia would also save an estimated $25.1 million in Medicaid expenses over a 10 year period if legislation were enacted. However, the real issue is far greater.
Utilizing NHTSA’s human capital estimate of one life producing an average of $3.75 Million dollars, the 21 pickup truck fatalities in the State of Georgia last year correspond to almost $78 Million dollars of lost human capital for our state. Of course, the real issue isn’t productivity. The Georgians we lose in pickup truck crashes can't be replaced as spouses, parents, siblings, employees or friends. No price can return a life to his or her loved ones that could have been saved by simply requiring the use of a seatbelt .
