IDOT HONORS SURVIVORS SAVED BY THE BELT

CHICAGO, IL —The Illinois Department of Transportation, along with the Illinois State Police and local police departments, will honor Illinois residents who have been involved in serious crashes and survived because they wore their seat belt, at a press conference entitled “Saved By The Belt” in Chicago.

The press conference will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, August 11 th at the south end of Grant Park, on the north side of Balbo between Columbus and Lake Shore Drive . The rain location will be at the ETP Yard located at 3501 S. Normal in Chicago.

Along with honoring survivors who have been saved by a seat belt, IDOT will also commemorate the state's success on its one-year anniversary as a primary seat belt enforcement state.

Since Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed legislation last July changing the state's seat belt law from a secondary to a primary violation, more motorists are buckling up before heading out on Illinois roadways.

“By choosing not to wear a seatbelt you are gambling with your life”, said Tim W. Martin, IDOT Secretary. “The fact is people are 50-percent more likely to survive a serious crash by doing something as simple as buckling up.”

Illinois now has 83 percent compliance with drivers and passengers buckling up.

This translates into 510 lives saved since July 3, 2003 .

“This is an incredible accomplishment for Illinois but there is still more work to be done, especially in the African American and Hispanic communities”, said Martin. “The fact remains that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for Hispanics

from ages 1-34, and with African Americans it is the leading cause of death through the age of 14. Motor vehicle crashes are the second leading cause of death between the ages of 15 and 24 surpassed only by homicides.”

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Illinois State Police, local Police Departments, Legislative sponsors of the bill and seat belt survivors will be in attendance. In addition, the Illinois State Police will give a demonstration using a roll over simulator to show the impact motorists and their passengers can face by not wearing a seatbelt.

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