Seat Belt Safety: Part One

It is 2018 and many new features are constantly coming out to ensure driver’s safety. However, the most protective device is one that has been around since 1959: the seat belt.

When you’re driving down a highway, “Click it or Ticket” is a common sight. The use of seat belts is more than suggested, and for good reason. There are many variables you cannot control while driving but wearing a seat belt is one you absolutely can control.

Younger passengers/drivers are statistically seen to wear their seat belts less than older drivers. 90.1% of the United States do use seat belts on a regular basis but this is a number we are constantly pushing to increase. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated that, “Mandatory seat belt laws are in effect in 49 states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Territories.”

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death among those aged 1-54 in the U.S.” However, the use of seat belts drastically decreases the death rate of drivers.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that 14,668 lives were saved due to seat belts alone in 2016. Virtual Driving stated that “only 1% of passengers who were wearing a seat belt were ejected from a car during a crash.” “Seat belts reduce serious crash-related injuries and deaths by about [50%]”. That statistic alone shows how crucial a seat belt could be in an accident. You could be giving your chance of living a 50% increase.

It takes approximately two seconds to pull a seat belt over your chest, across your lap and buckle it. Yet 27.5 million people are still not using them. Why?