President's Message
Why AAA Colorado supports the new seat belt bill
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Tony DeNovellis
President and CEO
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In the January/February issue of EnCompass, we outlined efforts by the Colorado Safety Belt Coalition to change Colorado's current seat belt law from a secondary offense to a primary, or “standard,” offense. We also asked that any AAA Colorado members who supported such a change return an attached support card.
I'm pleased to report that we received an overwhelmingly positive response—nearly 2,000 cards.
On the other side of this issue, AAA Colorado has received 14 cards, four emails/letters and two phone calls expressing opposition. Two major concerns: 1. AAA Colorado should not get into politics. 2. The government should not tell citizens what to do.
In response, AAA Colorado believes the seat belt issue has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with traffic safety. AAA has always been—and always will be—involved in traffic safety for all drivers, passengers and pedestrians.
Since its founding more than 100 years ago, AAA has been committed to this important issue. The AAA association's efforts have included educational tools, programs and brochures, lobbying the federal government on transportation issues, and supporting the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety (a not-for-profit, publicly supported charitable educational and research organization).
These efforts are all natural extensions of AAA's core mission to provide members with safety, security and peace of mind.
Further, AAA believes in the simple logic—supported by numerous statistics—that seat belt usage saves lives.
AAA Colorado also believes in two related facts:
1. Driving is a privilege, not a right. As such, people who want to drive need to adhere to certain laws that govern safety for all drivers and passengers. Should an individual have the right to ignore traffic lights? We all know why we must obey traffic lights: the consequences of non-compliance would be horrific.
2. Likewise, the consequences of an unrestrained driver in a serious crash—major injuries or death, emergency room time and resources, substantial medical bills, law enforcement investigation time, etc.—extend so far beyond the individual that the seat belt issue becomes a public health issue rather than a personal choice issue.
With your support—and the efforts of the Colorado Safety Belt Coalition—we can make Colorado's roads safer for everyone.
Tony DeNovellis
President and CEO
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