One of the safest choices drivers and passengers can make is to buckle up. Many Americans understand the lifesaving value of the seat belt – the national use rate was at 89.6% in 2018 according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Seat belt use in passenger vehicles saved an estimated 14,955 lives in 2017. Understand the potentially fatal consequences of not wearing a seat belt and learn what you can do to make sure you and your family are properly buckled up every time.
Preventing Auto Injuries
1. Buckling up helps keep you safe and secure inside your vehicle, whereas not buckling up can result in being totally ejected from the vehicle in a crash, which is almost always deadly. 2. Air bags are not enough to protect you; in fact, the force of an air bag can seriously injure or even kill you if you’re not buckled up. 3. Improperly wearing a seat belt, such as putting the strap below your arm, puts you and your children at risk in a crash.The Benefits of Buckling:
- If you buckle up in the front seat of a passenger car, you can reduce your risk of moderate to critical injury (including spine and neck injury) by 50%
- If you buckle up in a light truck, you can reduce your risk of moderate to critical injury (including spine and neck injury) by 65% (NHTSA, 1984)
