[Vision2020] Action Alert Seat Belt Coalition

Tue Jan 30 09:42:17 PST 2007

Dear Friends,

           I am contacting you because you've all been instrumental in
leading our community toward a better future. As a law enforcement officer,
I am concerned about Idaho not having primary offense seat belt legislation.
Your deputies and dispatchers have far too often dealt with terribly sad and
violent deaths and injuries that could have easily been prevented by a
simple click of a seat belt. To help do something about this, I became a
member of the Idaho Seat Belt Coalition. I learned a lot about how one
person not buckling up impacts our entire community and our entire state
when I met with other law enforcement officers in Lewiston on January 23rd
to kick off this effort. Did you know that in 2005, 11 unbelted people were
killed and 30 unbelted people were seriously injured in District 2 alone?
(District 2 is the area comprised of Latah, Nez Perce, Idaho, Lewis, and
Clearwater counties).  Those deaths and injuries cost us all over 46 million
dollars. While the victims and their families are responsible for some of
those expenses if they have the resources, more than 80% of the total bill
is the burden of the state, the county, the city, the hospital, and the tax
payer. If those people had been wearing their seat belts, it is estimated
that we could have saved over $19 million. Across America, more US citizens
are killed in traffic crashes because they are not wearing their seat belts
each year than have been killed on the battlefield during the entire
duration of the Iraq War. 

           I hope that you will consider taking the time to print out one of
the attached letters (the one that best fits your position or job),
personalize it, and send it to either our legislative representatives or to
those on the Transportation Committee. To learn more about this or to find
out more ways you can help Idaho buckle up, visit the Idaho Seat Belt
Coalition website (http://www.buckleupidaho.org/). Feel free to contact me
if you need any more information. I'd also love to hear from any of you who
decide to sign and send the letters or who mobilizes people in your office
to help with this. 

Thank you,

Jennifer

P.s. Below is the email that we received regarding this effort. If you need
any additional information that I am unable to provide, I will direct you to
Mr. Carlson. You may also contact him if you are interested in becoming a
member of the coalition.

Det. Jennifer L. McFarland
Latah County Sheriff's Office
Public Information Officer
PO Box 8068
Moscow, Idaho 83843
(208) 882-2216
Fax (208) 883-2281
 <http://www.latah.id.us/Dept/Sheriff_Main.htm>
http://www.latah.id.us/Dept/Sheriff_Main.htm

Truth is the summit of being; justice is the application of it to affairs.
***Ralph Waldo Emerson

To: Members, Idaho Seat Belt Coalition

From: Dave Carlson, co-chairman

Re: Contact Legislators

Date: Jan. 17, 2007

The coalition has contacted a number of legislators regarding seat belt
legislation. Nothing official has been drafted, but time is of the essence
in contacting members of House and Senate Transportation Committees, as well
as leadership.  Can you help, right now? I can provide you with five sample
letters that you can re-type or copy and paste into a document you send. You
can select the letter you want, insert the correct contact information and
send it by mail or electronically.  I can also provide a sheet that
identifies all the people we'd like to be contacted, along with instructions
on how best to do it.  If you can help us and will write one or more
letters, respond to this email and I will send you the letter samples and
the contact information.

Here are some guidelines:

1) You need not reside in a specific district to talk to a legislator. It
helps, but you can write to as many legislators as you want. You may
identify your involvement as a citizen or as a member of the Idaho Seat Belt
coalition.

2) Identify yourself by name, address, phone. It helps.

3) If the sample letters don't say what you want to say, write something
that makes sense.

4) Emails are fast, but a little less personal. If you can write one on your
organization's letterhead, it can be pretty effective.

5. We'd like every legislator here to get contacted at least five times. The
more the merrier. 

6. We need to make this issue so big that legislators would not be willing
to hide it or turn it down.

7. The coalition lobbyists need as many coalition members to help out as
possible. If you know others you work with who would write, please provide
them with the information.  

E-mail me and I will send the materials mentioned. We'd also like to track
who is making contacts, and the legislators they are writing.  Thank you in
advance for your help!

Dave Carlson
Director of Public & Government Affairs
AAA Idaho
7155 W. Denton St.
Boise, ID  83704
(208) 658-4401 (direct)
(208) 342-0085 (fax)
dave.carlson at aaaidaho.com

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