Maine seat belt choice

Regarding the Bangor Daily News articles, “Mainers buckle down on using their seat belts” (Sept. 24) and “State must get tougher on seat belts” (Sept. 25-26).

The public safety commissioner said that 79 percent of Mainers were using their seat belts. The state landed a federal grant of $500,000 to address the seat belt use, and $200,000 was spent on a radio ad campaign that ran during May and early June. One hundred and fifty thousand dollars went to police overtime hours and the purchase of radar detectors. Part of the money was spent on the survey to find out how many people were using seat belts.

Don’t you think we could have used this money to install seat belts in our school buses? Shouldn’t it be your choice to wear a seat belt or not? It is much more dangerous to ride a motorcycle without a helmet than it is to go without your seat belt.

Diane Woods

Belfast