Executive Order

Executive Order  No. 241: An Executive Order regarding the use of seat belts by state employees and their passengers in state vehicles

Date: 06/21/1984
Issuer: Michael S. Dukakis
Mass Register: No. 422

Table of Contents

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth was founded upon the collective desire of her people to protect and preserve the lives of her citizens, and

WHEREAS, our society has grown to rely upon the automobile as a means of economic and recreational transportation, and

WHEREAS, national statistics demonstrate that one out of every five deaths occurring on the job are motor vehicle-related, and

WHEREAS, three out of four deaths occurring off the job are motor vehicle related, as are half of all serious injuries, and

WHEREAS, lap safety belts have been proven to reduce the likelihood of fatal injury for adults by 40% and lap/shoulder safety belts reduce the chance of death by more than 60%, and

WHEREAS, the chances of avoiding moderate or critical injuries in a crash improve 31% if a lap belt is worn and by at least 57% where a lap/shoulder belt is worn, and

WHEREAS, state employees who serve the Commonwealth are responsible individuals who pride themselves in maintaining the highest standards of personal concern for themselves and others, and

WHEREAS, the actions of employees of the Commonwealth exemplify a standard of personal behavior for the public at large;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Michael S. Dukakis, Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, by virtue of the authority vested in me as Supreme Executive Magistrate, do hereby issue this Order as a necessary step to insure the safety of state employees and to set an example for the people throughout the state to travel safely upon the public ways.

ARTICLE I

It is the policy of the Commonwealth to require the use of safety belts by all state employees and their passengers when they are travelling in state-owned vehicles.

ARTICLE II

It is the policy of the Commonwealth to require the immediate report of the malfunction or absence of safety belts in state vehicles to the Director of Motor Vehicle Management for the Commonwealth.

ARTICLE III

The Secretary of Administration and Finance, in consultation with the Secretary of Public Safety, shall promulgate such regulations, including appropriate sanctions, as shall be deemed necessary to fulfill the purposes of this executive order.

This Order shall take effect immediately.

Given at the Executive Chamber in Boston this 21st day of June in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and eighty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America two hundred and nine.

MICHAEL S. DUKAKIS

GOVERNOR

Commonwealth of Massachusetts

MICHAEL JOSEPH CONNOLLY

SECRETARY OF THE COMMONWEALTH

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