By ALEXANDER SIMONE

Staff writer

Even though most accidents in Marion are at low speeds, they can still cause significant injury when people don’t wear seatbelts, Marion police chief Clinton Jeffrey said.

“We don’t work a lot of serious accidents because the speed limits are so low here in town, but it’s still a big factor,” he said. “You can get some pretty good injuries from not wearing your seatbelt.”

“It happens, but in the vast majority of accidents that occur, seatbelts do more good than harm,” he said. “That’s why the law exists.”

While warnings are often issued for minor violations, Jeffrey says he always writes a ticket if a child is in the car without using a seatbelt.

“If the adult in the car is wearing a seatbelt, odds are the kid is,” he said. “In my opinion, you don’t forget to wear your seatbelt.”

As a habitual task, wearing a seatbelt starts becoming ingrained at a young age. “It’s a learned behavior from when you’re a kid,” he said.

Wearing it is one thing, but many people are unaware a seatbelt should be replaced following an accident. Replacing them can cost up to $250, but it’s important because seatbelts aren’t meant to handle the stretching caused by multiple accidents, Jeffrey said.