Vehicle Safety: just a click away

  • Published
  • Air Force Flight Test Center Ground Safety
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  If you're planning to hit the California highways this summer, be sure that everyone in the car wears a seat belt during every road trip.

This year, California fines have increased from $132 to $142 for first-time adult seat belt violations. For children under 16-years-old, the fine is now $445 for a first-time offense.

California has a seat belt-usage rate of 95%, but that still means more than half-a-million people are not buckling up.

Properly restrained drivers, passengers and children have a 50 percent better chance of surviving a crash than unbelted occupants. Those ejected from vehicles in crashes or roll-overs are up to 35 times more likely to die than restrained occupants.

Below are a few questions and answers about wearing seat belts on and off Edwards:

Q) May I legally transport more people than the number of safety belts in my vehicle?
A) No. Every person riding in a personal or government vehicle must be properly restrained in an approved safety belt system.

Q) Can two people share a safety belt?
A) No. Safety belts are designed for one person.

Q) May I transport passengers who are sitting in the cargo area of a pickup truck with a camper shell?
A) Yes, if federally approved after-market seats with safety belts have been installed. While in a government vehicle, people may transported in the bed of a truck (no camper shell) if seated wholly within the cargo bed, and with no open sides, when all seat belts are in use, for short distances on an Air Force Installation only.

Q) Are there exemptions for wearing safety belts?
A) All passengers must be protected by safety belts. There are some narrow exceptions, including those with health problems who carry a current letter from a physician or chiropractor.

Q) Can a person be cited for detaching the shoulder strap or putting it under his or her arm?
A) Yes. It's illegal for a motorist to disable a shoulder strap if it is part of the vehicle's manufactured safety system.

Additional information can be found at http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/hdbk/seatbelts.htm and Air Force Instruction 91-207 and Air Force Materiel Command supplement.