Why Wear Seat Belts?

The simple act of not wearing a seat belt contributes to more deaths than any other single traffic safety-related behavior. In fact, approximately 63% of those who die in a car accident each year are not wearing seat belts. This is still the single most effective measure you can take to save your life and reduce your risk of injury on America's roadways.

The following statistics show the importance of using these devices:

• Seat belt use is the single most effective safety measure today, estimated to save 9,500 lives per year. But only about 68% of motor vehicle occupants are buckled up. More than 60% of the occupants killed in tragic car crashes are unrestrained.
• Around 5,500 deaths and 132,000 injuries would be prevented each year if 90% of American drivers wore a seat belt.
• The cost of unrestrained drivers and passengers exceeds those who die and the loss their loved one suffers. All Americans pay those who don't use seat belts with increased taxes, health care costs, and insurance premiums.
• The average inpatient hospital care costs for an unrestrained accident victim are 50% higher than those for restrained ones. Our society absorbs 85% of such costs, not those who receive the care. Every single American has to pay about $580 yearly towards the cost of accidents; if everyone used a seat belt this figure would significantly drop.

Studies show that education alone is not getting the message across to youths, especially males between the ages of 16 and 25 (this is the age group least likely to buckle up). Sadly enough, they simply feel immune to injury or death. But the truth is that they are the nation's highest-risk drivers, with higher incidences of drunk driving, speeding, and crashes. It has been very hard to motivate this hard-to-reach group with education or scare tactics referencing death or injury. What have been implemented instead are stronger seat belt laws and high visibility enforcement campaigns to compel them to buckle up.