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Show ' - - y ' . ' V Kr v y - j :-:'n:..' fc-'in I r : i- Ti-C " ii ! " r , , t - 1i I .w i W, " I l i v 1 rv Panguitch Elementary students learn about , seat belt safety in simulated accident at eight miles per hour. Without the belts to restrain them, more than their hairdos would have suf- Operation Buckle Down, a statewide program to encourage the use of seat belts in vehicles, is getting solid participation in Garfield County. Approximately two weeks ago, Utah Highway Patrol Captain Norm Steen presented the four-hour course of instruction to law enforcement officers in the area. The program was initiated in the state by UHP Col. Duane Richins who feels that, with proper instruction and enforcement, seat belt use could increase to a near-perfect near-perfect 100 percent. Panguitch Police Chief Martin Nay invited Steen to return to present essentially the same information to students in the area. On Monday, students at Panguitch Elementary, Tanguitch Middle School and Panguitch High School had their opportunity to learn why they should use seat belts. Later in the week, classes were set for Bryce Valley and Escalante. Steen told students that fered from the impact. Utah Highway Patrol officers are taking the simulators around the state as a part of "Operation Buckle Down" as they teach importance of using seat belts. Students Learn Seat Belt Safety In Lessons With A Real Impact currently, statewide, seat belts are used about 45 percent of the time, with freeway usage at about 65 percent. The state's goal in educating people about using seat belts is to gradually increase that percentage each year. Under the present law, use of seat belts is hot mandatory, except for children under two who must be restrained in an approved safety seat, and children 8 and under who must wear seat belts. Officers may stop anyone not complying with that law. For older drivers and occupants of a vehicle, officers may cite anyone not wearing a belt if they have first been stopped for another violation. Steen said that 129 people a day are killed on the nation's highways, adding up to more than 45,000 a year. He estimates that, with 70 percent seat belt usage, that figure could be reduced by 15,000. Steen estimates that occupants wearing a seat beat have a 50 percent greater chance of surviving an accident, and their chances are 400 percent higher if they would have been ejected from the vehicle. Officers showed videos of actual crashes and simulated crashes and then utilized a mechanical device that simulated the impact of a vehicle striking a barrier at 8 mph. With two students aboard, it rolls down a 12-foot ramp, striking the barrier at a speed of 8 mph to give students an example of the surprisingly forceful concussion and jolt involved at even such a low rate of speed. Steen pointed out to the students that in a rollover, drivers and occupants are most often ejected. Chief Nay pointed out the number of rollovers that have taken place in the county, some resulting in fatalities. He said that officers will issue verbal and written warnings, and then followup, if necessary, with citations. Steen said one of the biggest See Students Learn Page 7A Students Learn From Page 1 problems is mothers who think their babies are safe in their arms in a vehicle. He said a 20-lb baby becomes a 400-lb projectile at only 20 mph. He said three types of impacts take place in an accident: 1.) when the vehicle hits the object, 2.) when the occupants and objects in the vehicle make impact, and 3.) when the occupant's internal organs make impact within the body. By the end of the day, students and teachers taking part were reminding everyone to "Buckle Down." Steen says "it only takes a second to fasten a seat belt, the second that could save your life." |