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J <br />CITY OF NORTH OLMSTED <br />ORDINANCE NO. 2002 -136 <br />BY: Council Member Kasler <br />AN ORDINANCE AMENDING SECTION 33 727 OF THE TRAFFIC <br />CODE OF THE CITY OF NORTH OLMSTED, ENTITLED <br />"DRIVERS AND PASSENGERS REQUIRED TO WEAR SEAT <br />BELTS; PENALTY," SO AS TO MAKE VIOLATIONS OF THE <br />ORDINANCE A PRIMARY OFFENSE, AND DECLARING AN <br />EMERGENCY. <br />WHEREAS, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ("NHTSA") <br />has found that seat belts are the single most effective safety device in preventing injuries <br />and reducing fatalities in traffic accidents; and <br />WHEREAS, States and cities across the Country have traditionally designated <br />violations of seat belt laws as secondary offenses thereby precluding law enforcement <br />officers from stopping automobiles, or issuing tickets, for the sole purpose of enforcing <br />seat belt laws; and <br />WHEREAS, there has been a developing trend over the last several years in a <br />number of States and cities across the County to re-designate their seat belt laws as <br />primary offenses, thereby enabling law enforcement officers to stop automobiles and <br />issue tickets for the sole purpose of enforcing seat belt laws; and <br />WHEREAS, those States and cities nationally which have changed their seat belt <br />laws from secondary to primary offenses have shown dramatic increases in seat belt <br />usage; and <br />WHEREAS, the NHTSA has conducted studies which have found that, when <br />seat belt usage increases, traffic fatalities and injuries, and the societal costs associated <br />with such fatalities and injuries, decrease; and <br />WHEREAS, the NHTSA has estimated that, if the City of North Olmsted were to <br />re-designate its local seat belt law from a secondary to a primary offense, seat belt usage <br />in the City would increase, and the City and its residents would benefit by a substantial <br />reduction in traffic accident injuries and associated health care and lost wages costs, <br />thereby furthering the public health, safety and welfare of the community; and <br />WHEREAS, Section 337.27 of the Traffic Code of the City of North Olmsted, <br />entitled "Drivers and Passengers Required to Wear Seat Belts; Penalty" is the City's local <br />