News
Seat belt usage by California motorists is at a new record high, 94.6 percent, according to an annual survey commissioned by the state Office of Traffic Safety (OTS).
That's an improvement of more than 2 percent during the past two years, according to the study. In 2005, the figure was 92.5 percent; in 2006 it rose to 93.4 percent.
"These numbers are literally the difference between life and death. The increase this year means an estimated 372,000 more Californians are buckling up," said Business, Transportation and Housing Secretary Dale Bonner, who announced the new last week at the annual California law Enforcement Challenge Awards in San Diego.
The California Highway Patrol and local police departments have increased public awareness of the life-saving benefits of wearing a seat belt during the past year.
OTS, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, has provided funding for officer overtime for enforcement efforts and for educational outreach programs to encourage people to always wear their seat belts.
"These aren't just numbers. They are real lives saved and real tragedies averted," sad CHP Commissioner Mike Brown.
"These numbers are great, but we won't rest until we've convinced everyone that wearing their seat belt is the smart thing to do," stated OTS Director Christopher J. Murphy. "It takes just two seconds to save
a life."
In 2006, the CHP issued 254,328 citations for people not wearing their seat belts. Fines have been significantly increased the past two years.
The combination of enforcement and education is the key to changing behavior. Commissioner Brown warns that CHP officers will continue to aggressively seek out those holdouts who still don't get the message.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Daniel Williamson, 25, of Clearlake was shot multiple times Thursday evening, according to a report from Clearlake Police Sgt. Brett Rhodes.
Rhodes said that Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, where Williamson was life-flighted Thursday, reported Williamson's condition had not changed.
The shooting occurred near the Mormon Church on Bay Street, Rhodes said.
Williamson originally was driven to the Redbud Hospital emergency room by an individual, not emergency personnel; Rhodes said police are still investigating who drove him there.
Rhodes said they could not yet comment on the number of times Williamson was shot or the type of gun that was used. He said Williamson appeared to have suffered other, unspecified injuries as well.
While conducting interviews for the investigation, police contacted a man named John Smith who they took into custody on a parole hold, said Rhodes.
Williamson's home was targeted for a parole search on Aug. 28 according to police records. That was the same day as a multi-agency task force was conducting similar searches of parolees with gang contacts around the county.
However, Rhodes could not confirm if Williamson had actually been a target of the sweep or if the timing was a coincidence. He said police have not yet been able to determine if the shooting is gang-related.
Det. Martin Snyder is leading the investigation, said Rhodes.
“We have several leads that we're pursuing and persons of interest that we're looking at, but there's no definitive time as to when the investigation will be concluded,” Rhodes said.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Snyder or Officer Michael Ray at 994-8251.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
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