DEAR EDITOR:
It goes without saying that part of our elected officials' duties is to look out for the health and safety of government employees, as well as the pocketbook of the citizens who elect them.
With the obvious being stated, I would ask every supervisor in every department of every governmental agency to review their policy manual. What they are looking for is the policy that requires employees, and volunteers to government agencies, to wear seat belts while in government-owned vehicles.
Everyone knows this is a state law. However, the police agencies clearly turn a blind eye to government employees not wearing seat belts. And, as an elected official with the power to fix this situation, so are they.
I routinely travel the boundaries of this fine county. It never fails, whether I am in downtown Warren, Kinsman or Lordstown, I see government employees not wearing seat belts. It does not matter if it is a street department truck, a county sedan or a police cruiser, no seat belts are being used.
If the powers that be would write a policy and then enforce the policy they would be accomplishing three positive things:
If a worker was involved in a vehicle accident, their injuries would be greatly minimized from what they could have been. Ergo, elected officials are caring for the employees.
They would be lessening governmental workers' compensation costs due to minimized injuries.
They would be following the laws of the state of Ohio.
I hereby issue a challenge to all police agencies, especially the Ohio State Highway Patrol: Start issuing seat belt citations of each and every governmental worker they see not wearing a seat belt.
John Lewis
Champion