Traffic safety survey shows many still not wearing safety belts

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Traffic safety survey shows many still not wearing safety belts
By Texas A&M
May 15, 2008

COLLEGE STATION - Young adults, teens, pickup truck occupants and nighttime motorists are less likely to wear safety belts than most drivers and passengers, according to the latest survey from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. And those who don't wear safety belts are more likely to die in a crash.

Though safety belts have been proven effective in preventing deaths, more than half of the motor vehicle crash fatalities in these groups were unrestrained, according to the traffic safety administration.

"Occupants who are ejected from a vehicle are four times more likely to be killed," said Bev Kellner, Texas AgriLife Extension Service program manager for passenger safety. "Most ejections are due to failure to wear a safety belt."

That's the reason behind the national Click It or Ticket campaign May 19-June 1, Kellner noted. Law enforcement officers will be especially vigilant about ticketing unbuckled people in vehicles during that period.

"The message is simple - buckling up will keep you from receiving a ticket," she said. "Better yet, it may very well save your life."

AgriLife Extension is helping to get the word out about the upcoming Memorial Day Click It or Ticket mobilization in hopes of reaching the groups that are still not convinced of the importance of wearing their safety belts, Kellner said.

On the importance of buckling seat belts, the traffic safety administration shared these facts:

- Sixty-seven percent of male drivers and 73 percent of male passengers between the ages of 18 and 34 who were killed in crashes in 2006 did not wear seat belts.

- Drivers and passengers between 16 and 24 have the lowest usage rate among all age groups. Data from 2006 shows that among those killed in crashes, 64 percent of teenagers were not buckled up at the time.

- Drivers and passengers in pickups, especially young males, consistently have the lowest safety belt usage rates of all motorists. Half of fatalities in pickup trucks are due to rollover crashes. In a pickup rollover crash, safety belts can reduce the risk of dying by up to 80 percent.

- Nighttime hours between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. bring out more unbuckled drivers and passengers. Crash records show nearly two-thirds of those killed during nighttime hours were not wearing seat belts.

- In 2006, 75 percent of ejected passenger vehicle occupants were killed, but among motorists who were buckled up in serious crashes, 77 percent survived.

For more information on the benefits of buckling up, visit http://www.nhtsa.gov/.