The usual question about the kind of seat-belt blitz now going on in Oregon and the Northwest is: "Don't the police have anything better to do?" But that's not the right question.

Of course the police have something better to do. They do it all the time. And if something more urgent comes along - like stopping a bank robbery in progress, which a couple of Albany officers managed to accomplish just the other day - they'll do it in a second. They'll forget all about seat belts if something like that needs to be done.

The right question is: Why is the state making officers do something as ridiculous as stopping motorists on the streets and highways, exposing themselves to the usual hazards of traffic stops and subjecting motorists to the heart-pounding experience of seeing the flashing lights go on behind them? Why is the state causing all this for the mere job of reminding somebody that seat belts must be worn?

Everybody already knows that wearing seat belts is not only the law but the smart thing to do. Virtually everybody complies virtually all the time. Last year Oregon was said to have a seat-belt use percentage of 97 percent.

We have signs along the roads that remind people of the law with the mind-numbingly stupid phrase "click it or ticket." (Whoever thought that one up should be honored with the Tin Ear of the Year Award.)

And if by chance we forget to buckle up, the various beepers and bells in our vehicles go berserk.

The few drivers who don't use their belts now and then, and who ignore the warning bells, do not represent a public hazard. Whatever danger they represent is only to themselves, and if the statistics are right, there are very few of them and chances are they'll use their seat belts next time they get behind the wheel.

The current enforcement campaign runs through Feb. 17. We've been told the purpose is to "get the message out that seat belts are important." The message is already out. There's no need to beat it into us.

And there's no need to have officers work overtime, as the police say they have been doing in this campaign, in order to drum this message into our heads. (hh)