THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT
STATE HOUSE, BOSTON 02133

By His Excellency

MICHAEL S. DUKAKIS
GOVERNOR

EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 241

AN EXECUTIVE ORDER REGARDING THE USE OF SEAT BELTS
BY STATE EMPLOYEES AND THEIR PASSENGERS
IN STATE VEHICLES.

    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 occuring on the job are motor vehicle-related,
and

    WHEREAS, three out of four deaths occuring 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 ex-
emplify 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

GOD SAVE THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS