Seat Belts

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Two people remained hospitalized Sunday after a two-car crash that killed a Martinsburg man on Saturday. Sonny Claye Gray, 21, of 1551 Charles Town Road, was killed when the car he was driving on U.S. 11 hit a van head-on, according to West Virginia State Police. cont. from news page At about 12:30 a.m., Gray, who was traveling south in a 1988 Plymouth Sundance, tried to pass another vehicle on the left in a no-passing zone, police said. Gray's car collided head-on with a 1992 Dodge Caravan driven by Michael Rea, 40, of 1010 Magnolia Lane, Falling Waters, W.Va.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- General Motors is recalling nearly 250,000 crossover vehicles worldwide to inspect second-row seat belts that could be damaged and not latch. GM says the recall affects 2009-2010 models of the Chevrolet Traverse, Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook. Most of the recalled vehicles are in the United States but some are also in Canada, Mexico and elsewhere. GM says the seat belt buckle could be damaged when the seat back is returned to an upright position.

The Maryland General Assembly opens today, unleashing the three-month adrenaline rush that engulfs Annapolis every winter. I confess I'm a little nostalgic for the fanfare and intrigues, and since this is an election year in which several state lawmakers have set their eyes on bigger and better things, it promises to be an especially provocative season. The provocation, however, began in last year's session. Controversial bills - one that passed (immigrant tuition) and one that didn't (same-sex marriage)

Editorial - Fasten your seat belts Next Monday at 4 p.m., Edwin Hayes and Andrew Humphreys will be formally sworn in as new members of the Washington County school board. We take this opportunity to congratulate them, not only for winning their races for office, but for being willing to take on a job where the pay is inadequate ($3,500 a year) and the responsibilities immense. The board they're joining faces some tremendous challenges, not all of which are obvious. For example, because of some bad decisions by previous boards, some schools that might have been mothballed and preserved for later use - Woodland Way, Surrey and Washington Street - were sold, meaning that when the next wave of residential development hits, school crowding and the demand for more classroom space will be an issue again.

gregs@herald-mail.com Maryland State Police at the Hagerstown barracks are putting extra resources toward seat-belt law enforcement through Thanksgiving in a program that began Monday. The "Click It or Ticket" campaign is part of local State Police efforts to target aggressive driving during the holiday, said Capt. Rob Turano of the Hagerstown barracks. The seat-belt efforts are part a national movement over the holiday weekend to target young drivers with the message of the importance of using seat belts, according to a news release.

âEUR¢ 17,800 ?� Number of students transported twice each day âEUR¢ 47 ?� Number of schools served in the county âEUR¢ 262 ?� Number of bus drivers âEUR¢ 164 ?� Number of bus routes âEUR¢� More than 2.7 million ?� Number of miles school buses travel annually WASHINGTON COUNTY Students have more than one month before going back to school in Washington County, and recently officials discussed whether they should be wearing seat belts when they do. The U.S. Department of Transportation held a public forum on the effectiveness of seat belts on school buses last week, revisiting a topic that has been the subject of debate for years.

By BRENDAN KIRBY Staff Writer Even they may not be sure of the details, Washington County motorists have a sense that it is not a good idea to cruise past a sheriff's deputy without a seat belt, 1st Sgt. Doug Mullendore said. Law enforcement officials now can only ticket drivers without safety belts if they are committing another offense. But that changes on Wednesday, Oct. 1, when the seat belt law becomes a primary offense. Also beginning Wednesday, drivers will have to shine headlights while their windshield wipers are on and a law governing the volume of car radios takes effect.

WASHINGTON COUNTY - Students have more than one month before going back to school in Washington County, and recently officials discussed whether they should be wearing seat belts when they do. The U.S. Department of Transportation held a public forum on the effectiveness of seat belts on school buses last week, revisiting a topic that has been the subject of debate for years. Washington County Public Schools Transportation Supervisor Barbara Scotto said students do not have seat belts unless they are riding a bus that serves students with special needs.

Seat belts save people in six-vehicle wreck, police say Seat belts helped save four people injured Saturday in a six-vehicle collision that closed both east and westbound lanes of Interstate 70 in Hagerstown, Maryland State Police said. Natrajan Subramanian, 25, of Oakton, Va., was charged with negligent driving, reckless driving, failure to control speed to avoid a collision, speed greater than reasonable for conditions (heavy traffic volume) and unsafe lane changing, police said.

I know what you're thinking. "Here he goes again, preaching about stuff that's none of his dang business. "Couple of months ago mister smartypants newspaper editor was telling me I should wear a helmet when I ride my motorcycle. "Now this. Who does he think he is?" Part of our job in the media business is to share information that our readers may not have access to or the means to get. So just call me the info rider. (Yes, I've seen too many Clint Eastwood westerns.

Five people, including three children, were taken to Chambersburg Hospital on Saturday after a car on southbound Interstate 81 crossed the median into northbound I-81 and hit another car, according to a news release from Pennsylvania State Police. A 1992 Chevrolet Cavalier was heading south on I-81 when it crossed the median and headed south on northbound I-81 near the exit for U.S. 30, state police said. The Cavalier's driver-side front bumper hit the driver-side front bumper of a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu at about 10:50 a.m. Saturday, state police said.

A Jefferson County woman and her two children were taken to area hospitals Monday evening for non-life threatening injuries after the vehicle she was driving clipped a utility pole and flipped twice, police said. Tammy Brode and her 13-year-old son were taken to Jefferson Memorial Hospital in Ranson, W.Va., after the crash on Ridge Road and her 11-year-old son was taken to Winchester (Va.) Medical Center, West Virginia State Police Sgt. E.D. Anderson said. The youngest boy was partially ejected from the Dodge Caravan his mother was driving as a result of the crash.

A prescription drug turn-in program and other activities will be available to the public this weekend during Law Enforcement Awareness Day at Hagerstown Speedway. Beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday, visitors will be able to participate in a variety of events, including the drug turn-in program, a DUI simulator, a seat belt simulator and a child-identification program. The event is being sponsored by the Hagerstown Police Department, Washington County Sheriff's Office and Maryland State Police.

Kenny Rogers knows he's been lucky. At age 73, the country-pop icon with his signature raspy voice has spent more than 50 years in an impressive, musical genre-bending career. And the man who made silver hair and facial hair a look said he's been grateful for every moment of it. Rogers will return to the H. Ric Luhrs Performing Arts Center at Shippensburg University on Friday, June 15, the same venue he sold out during his successful Christmas & Hits Tour in 2009. This week's show begins at 8 p.m. "This past year we've done 26 shows in the Northeast and we didn't see one flake of snow," Rogers said during a telephone interview from his Atlanta home.

A pregnant Hagerstown woman was seriously injured in a two-vehicle accident Saturday afternoon at the intersection of Halfway Boulevard and Oak Ridge Drive, Washington County Sheriff Douglas W. Mullendore said Monday morning. She was identified as Beth Ann Faulder, 26, of Glenside Avenue, Mullendore said. She is 22 weeks pregnant, he said. Faulder was driving a Nissan Sentra at about 4 p.m. Saturday when she pulled from Oak Ridge Drive onto Halfway Boulevard into the path of a Chevrolet Suburban driven by Dixie Lee Pierce, 32, of Hagerstown, Mullendore said.

The Maryland General Assembly opens today, unleashing the three-month adrenaline rush that engulfs Annapolis every winter. I confess I'm a little nostalgic for the fanfare and intrigues, and since this is an election year in which several state lawmakers have set their eyes on bigger and better things, it promises to be an especially provocative season. The provocation, however, began in last year's session. Controversial bills - one that passed (immigrant tuition) and one that didn't (same-sex marriage)

A Chambersburg, Pa., woman died and two Shippensburg men were injured in a single-vehicle accident Tuesday night in Cumberland County, Pa., Pennsylvania State Police said. Cindy L. Hull, 44, of Chambersburg, was pronounced dead at the scene as the result of head injuries, according to a news release from the Cumberland County Coroner's Office. The driver of the vehicle, Dennis Bumbaugh, 43, of Shippensburg, was taken to Chambersburg Hospital with moderate injuries, state police said.

A McConnellsburg, Pa., man died Friday afternoon in a two-vehicle crash in Franklin County, Pa., police said. Matthew Barclay, 43, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, which occurred at 2:25 p.m. in the 9300 block of Lincoln Way West in St. Thomas Township, Pa., according to a news release from Pennsylvania State Police in Chambersburg. Timothy Keeney, 51, of Joshua, Texas, the driver of the other vehicle in the crash, was not injured, police said. The 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan that Barclay was driving west on the road crossed the center line and struck the 2009 International tractor-trailer that Keeney was driving head-on, police said.

The most important virtue of limited government is the freedom it gives people to live life by their own values, preferences and circumstances. As I discussed in a recent column, limited government only intervenes in clear cases of “market failure” - a technical term meaning cases where people's voluntary decisions and agreements with each other are obstructed or distorted. Even in those cases, limited government only steps in when the benefits to citizens clearly outweigh the costs.

Pennsylvania State Police reported that seven people were killed in crashes during the four-day Fourth of July holiday, a slight decrease from a year ago. WHTM-TV reported on its website Tuesday that  State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan said 723 crashes were investigated, 358 motorists were arrested for driving under the influence and 519 people were cited for not wearing seat belts. State police also issued 7,007 speeding citations, along with 103 citations to motorists for not securing their children in child safety seats.