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March 2, 2010
No Seatbelts #1 Death of Police Officers & Could Cost Workers Compensation
When the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration implemented their poetic policy of “Click it or Ticket”, the phrase was so catchy that it actually worked. Plus it seemed to play towards common sense. An action that takes 2 seconds can not only save your life, but also save you from getting a pricey ticket. It seems like sort of a no brainer, but apparently in a case of “do as we say not as we do” the very people dispensing the tickets, the police, don’t follow this sage advice.
According to the Houston Chronicle dozens of policemen around the country have died in crashes while not wearing seat belts in recent years. At least 64 police officers have been killed in accidents between 2004 and 2008 alone, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. About 40 percent of officers killed in wrecks during that time period weren’t buckled up.
“The average police officer thinks most cops get killed by felons, and that’s not true. Cops are getting killed in traffic accidents,” said Richard Ashton, who studies traffic safety for the International Association of Chiefs of Police. “Officers don’t think it can happen to them.”
Police Justify Lack of Seatbelts
Internet forums like the one at officer.com disclose ways for disabling seat belt alarms in commonly used police cruisers such as the Crown Victoria. They also suggest tricks for avoiding supervisors who monitor belt usage by officers on patrol. The problem is, these activities often just as long as actually just putting on the seatbelt, but police officers are human like the rest of us and sometimes logic doesn’t prevail.
The justifications are many. One of the excuses is that it’s just not part of “police culture” to wear seatbelts. Many police officers say that their belts hinder them if they have to exit quickly to confront a suspect. The seat belt easily gets tangled on a holster and slows their reaction. Another common complaint is that seatbelts make it hard to control violent prisoners riding in the car while buckled up. This last one seems less likely since the offender is generally handcuffed and locked in the back of the cruiser with either a shield or cage separating the officer from the assailant.
“Every situation is different. You may have to jump out of the car quickly — there are times when we have that mindset,” A.J. Gonzales, a patrol sergeant based at the Houston Police Department’s South Central patrol station told the Houston Chronical. “We’re supposed to wear it, but if you’re running hot somewhere you have to be fast on your feet.”
Regardless, the justifications don’t seem to go far enough to justify the death of the police officer who is far more valuable an asset to the community.
Statistical Problems with Measuring Seatbelt Use; Creative Solutions
Serious InjuriesThis blog or any other study attempting to find and track statistics regarding collision deaths of police officers not wearing seatbelts ran into the same wall regarding measurable statistical evidence. The reason for the wall is that across the country police officers generally produce the report for their own car accidents and thus say whether they were or weren’t wearing a seatbelt. This is where the aforementioned “human” factor comes in, because most people would say that they were wearing a seatbelt to avoid further heartache beyond the wrecking of city property.
But the sneaky researchers at the Journal of Trauma: Injury, Infection and Critical Care found one way to measure. By watching hundreds of the popular reality show COPS and counting how many were wearing seatbelts. The 2006 study found officers buckling up less than 40 percent of the time.
A 2005 study in the Journal of Trauma found about 20 percent of officers who died in crashes between 1997 and 2001 weren’t wearing seat belts. Ashton’s estimate is that up to a third of officers fail to buckle up.
“More police officers died from traffic accidents in 2003 than from gun-shot wounds,” said Dietrich Jehle, M.D., associate professor of emergency medicine at the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and lead author on the study.
“The fact that traffic-related crash fatalities now are greater than the number of officers killed by felons suggests this issue needs to be revisited on a national scale,” he said.
First Responders, Collisions, and Workers Compensation
Death and injury isn’t the only problem. It is the policeman’s increased chance of it above everyone else. Police officers, regardless of their flashing lights and screaming sirens, speed down streets and alleys, around corners, over hills, and drivers never seem to know where they are until the cruiser is right upon them. This can cause confusion, sudden stopping, erratic driving, distracted driving, and other actions that can result in a nasty collision. Without a seatbelt the officer could find themselves in need of help rather than vice-versa.
These collisions are not only reserved for police officers. There are other first responders such as fire fighters, ambulance drivers, Medic One technicians, and even city vehicle drivers that may find themselves driving in odd and high stress circumstances. Once injured, seatbelt or not, there is always the issue of worker’s compensation.
Sometimes, personal injury expenses can be overwhelming, and contacting a lawyer becomes necessary.
Dealing with insurance companies can sometimes be difficult. If you are considering an injury case, contact the Houston Personal injury lawyers of the Stephens Law Firm at 713-224-0000
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