How often do you drive without wearing a safety belt? According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), over 27 million people in the United States don’t wear a seat belt when they’re a passenger in a vehicle. Despite all of the warnings, the tragic stories, and even the threat of getting a ticket, many passengers aren’t aware of the dangers or simply don’t believe that it will affect them. Seat belts are designed to save lives, and the statistics show that they work as expected. You need to buckle up any time that you’re in a moving vehicle.
Seat Belt Statistics
The most comprehensive NHTA statistics are from 2017.
- 57% of all young adults (those between the ages of 18 and 34) who lost their lives in motor vehicles accidents were not wearing seat belts.
- The percentage of people killed while traveling in a pickup truck was even higher, at a staggering 59%.
- The percentage of men killed while not wearing a seat belt was greater than women, coming in at 51% versus 39%.
- It’s clear that not wearing a seat belt often ends in a fatality, as the occupants of the vehicles may have survived had they been wearing one.
Lives Are Saved by Seat Belts
Between the years of 2013 and 2017, more than 69,000 people were saved by safety belts. Simply because they buckled up and were protected when the incident occurred. In 2017 alone, and estimated 15,000 livess were saved as a result. Considering the alarming statistics, seat belt usage increased a mere 3% from 2013 to 2018. The warnings don’t seem effective enough!
I believe prior to obtaining a driver’s license, every person should be required to go to the coroner’s office to see what happens when seat belts are not worn!
You need to wear a safety belt every time you’re in a moving motor vehicle. Your life depends on it. Although many vehicles are equipped with additional safety measures, such as airbags, nothing works like a seat belt. They will keep you in place in the event of a collision, preventing you and your passengers from being catapulted through a windshield and out into the middle of moving traffic. There’s no reason for these types of incidents to occur when the safety measure requires a simple buckle.
If you have been injured in a motor vehicle accident, call me today and I’ll Make Them Pay!®
