DATE: Tuesday, May 20, 1997                 TAG: 9705190138

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B3   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY NAOMI AOKI, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   68 lines

STATE SPREADS WORD THIS WEEK ABOUT SEATBELT SAFETY

Donna Kerstan's two 3-year-old granddaughters clamored from their car seats for their mother and grandmother to buckle up as they pulled out of the driveway.

A short time later, driving down Battlefield Boulevard in Chesapeake, Kerstan slammed into a car of drunk teen-agers who suddenly pulled out in front of her.

Her daughter's seatbelt left an imprint on her chest. Otherwise, Kerstan and her family walked away without injury, she said.

``Like my daughter said, if she hadn't been wearing her seatbelt, she would have gone through the windshield,'' Kerstan said.

Now she counts herself and her family among the thousands of people whose lives or health have been saved by seatbelts and child safety seats.

This week, dubbed Buckle Up America! Week by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Kerstan and Virginia State Police want to spread the gospel.

Buckling up is a way of life, they say. And there are people who still need converting.

Seven of every 10 people who died in car accidents last year in Southeastern Virginia weren't wearing seatbelts or were suspected of not wearing seatbelts, according to the state police. Last year, 93 people died in car crashes in Southeastern Virginia. Two were children who weren't properly restrained.

``Buckling up not only saves lives but also helps prevent serious injuries, many of which can cause permanent disability,'' said Col. M. Wayne Higgins, state police superintendent.

Troopers will make sure you're wearing your seatbelt this week. They'll also give you an educational push in the seatbelt direction.

The good news: More and more Americans are buckling up.

In 1982, before any state had a seatbelt law, only 11 percent of Americans wore seatbelts. Now 68 percent buckle up, the U.S. Department of Transportation says.

Today, only one state, New Hampshire, doesn't have a seatbelt law, and every state has a child safety-seat law.

In Virginia, all drivers and front-seat passengers must wear a seatbelt; all children 4 and under must be in a child safety seat.

But state police hope to cajole the remaining 32 percent who don't wear seatbelts to buckle up this week.

``When you are driving, you are the BOSS!,'' a promotional flier states. ``Don't let your friends or family get away with excuses like, `I don't need to buckle up around town.' Three out of four crashes occur within 25 miles of home.''

Then come more facts:

Seat belts have saved more than 75,000 lives since 1982, according to a U.S. Department of Transportation report.

Child safety seats have saved almost 3,000 lives since 1982.

A panic stop can leave unbelted passengers seriously injured.

And then, the advice.

Everyone should buckle up - even in a car with airbags. Airbags provide extra protection but are not meant to replace lap and shoulder belts.

Children 12 and under should ride in the back seat in child safety seats until an adult lap-and-shoulder belt fits properly.

Make sure child safety seats are properly installed. You should not be able to move the seat at all.

Child safety seats should be replaced after an accident. Even a hairline fracture can make a safety seat ineffective. Do not buy car seats from thrift shops or at yard sales. MEMO: Troopers will give safety talks about seat belts and other topics

to schools and other organizations. For more information, call 424-6800.

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