A Grayson County Sheriff’s Office deputy has received an award for his enforcement of Kentucky’s seat belt and child restraint laws.
The Kentucky Office of Highway Safety honored law enforcement officers from 114 agencies across the state for their efforts to increase the use of seat belts and child restraints in motor vehicles.
Awards were presented to officers and deputies with the most occupant protection citations in each agency and in each division, with Grayson County Sgt. Fred Norder winning second place in Division I (agencies with one to 10 officers/deputies).
All winners received a plaque, while the top three division winners were presented with the Highway Safety All-Star Award – an encased commemorative baseball bat from Louisville Slugger.
In winning the award, Norder explained that he finds no joy in issuing citations for people not wearing a seat belt. But with the avoidable, tragic scenes he’s witnessed in a career that spans a quarter century, he’s compelled to remind drivers and passengers alike that wearing a seat belt can be the difference in living and dying.
“In my 25 years in law enforcement, I’ve heard hundreds of excuses for not putting on a seat belt” Norder said, “and I’ve seen dozens of survivable crashes where someone died or suffered critical injuries do to being ejected, partially ejected or from blunt force trauma after being thrown around inside the vehicle, even at low speeds. It’s always a sad and oftentimes gruesome scene. Issuing citations is very unpleasant for me — no matter what the violation, we always hope for voluntary compliance — but I know seat belts do save lives, and a citation is a cheap reminder.”
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), seat belts, when worn correctly, reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants by 45 percent and the risk of moderate-to-critical injury by 50 percent. For pickup trucks, SUVs and van occupants, seat belts reduce the risk of fatal injury by 60 percent and moderate-to critical injury by 65 percent.
The NHTSA estimates that car seats reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71 percent for infants (younger than one-year-old) and 54 percent for toddlers (one- to four-years-old) in passenger cars. For infants and toddlers in light trucks, the corresponding reductions are 58 percent and 59 percent.
Upon Norder receiving the award, Grayson County Sheriff Norman Chaffins said that 724 motorists were killed on Kentucky roadways in 2018, with 782 people killed in 2017.
“Many of those were not wearing safety belts,” Chaffins said. “Many of those unbelted could have been saved if they had just taken the time to Buckle Up! Remember, you may be the safest driver in the world, but you cannot control the actions of other drivers. Buckle up Grayson County or Sgt. Norder will get you!”
(Photo: (l-r) Statewide Occupant Protection Coordinator Nate Dean, Sgt. Fred Norder, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Deputy Secretary Paul Looney)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com or 270-259-6000
