Safety Belt Facts
FACT:
Failure to buckle up contributes to more fatalities than any other single traffic safety-related behavior. |
FACT:
Despite terrible traffic problems such as aggressive driving, increasing safety belt use is still the single most effective thing we can do to save lives and reduce injuries on America's roadways. |
FACT:
Adults who don't buckle up are sending children a deadly message that it is all right not to wear a safety belt. Children model adult behavior. Research shows that if a driver is unbuckled, 70 percent of the time children riding in that vehicle won't be buckled either. |
FACT:
Data suggests that education alone is not doing the job with young people, especially males ages 16 to 25- the age group least likely to buckle up. They simply do not believe they will be injured or killed. It takes stronger safety belt laws and high visibility enforcement campaigns to get them to buckle up. |
FACT:
Safety belts are the most effective safety devices in vehicles today, estimated to save 9,500 lives each year. |
FACT:
If 90 percent of Americans buckle up, we will prevent more than 5,500 deaths and 132,000 injuries annually. |
FACT:
The cost of unbuckled drivers and passengers goes beyond those killed and the loss to their families. We all pay for those who don't buckle up - in higher taxes, higher health care, and higher insurance costs. |
FACT:
On average, inpatient hospital care costs for an unbelted crash victim are 50 percent higher than those for a belted crash victim. Society bears 85 percent of those costs, not the individuals involved. |
FACT:
By reaching the goal of 90 percent safety belt use, and 25 percent reduction in child fatalities by the year 2005, we will save $8.8 billion annually. |
FACT:
Research shows that when a driver is unbuckled, 70 percent of the time children in that vehicle will not be buckled either. A child unrestrained in a 30mph crash is equivalent to a child falling from a three-story building. Personal choice is forfeited when others are injured and killed. |
FACT:
Florida law is very specific about how passengers in Florida should be belted. All front seat occupants must be buckled up, regardless of age. Children ages 6 - 18 must be belted in either the front or back seat of the vehicle. |
FACT:
Every American pays about $580 a year toward the cost of automobile crashes. If everyone would buckle up, this figure would drop significantly. |
FACT:
In Florida, the highest safety belt usage was observed in women and men over 60 years of age, and the lowest use rates were found in men driving light trucks, vans, and cars. |
FACT:
Experience shows that upgrading to a primary safety belt law can result in up to a 15 percent increase in safety belt usage statewide. |
FACT:
Traffic related injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young adults ages 6 - 27. Research also shows that minority youth are at an even greater risk because they are less likely to be buckled up. |
FACT:
The NHTSA estimates that if Florida had a primary enforcement safety belt law, 270 lives would be saved and 1,100 injuries prevented the first year. This represents $459 million in potential savings to taxpayers. |
