Buckle Down on Auto Safety
In the past year, there has been an alarming rise in road fatalities. According to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, fatal crashes increased by a devastating 6.8% in 2020,1 due in large part to speeding, alcohol impairment, or failure to wear a seat belt.
According to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for people under the age of 54. Nearly half of people who die in motor vehicle crashes are not wearing a seatbelt.2 Teens tend to be the least likely of all drivers and passengers to wear seat belts.
Hundreds of teen deaths can be prevented each year by using seat belts. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety estimates that seat belts reduce the risk of fatal injury for drivers and front-seat passengers of fatal injury by 45% (car) to 60% (SUV, van, pickup).
Some eye-opening statistics:
- One person in the U.S. dies every hour because they failed to buckle up3
- Three out of four fatal crashes occur within 25 miles of the victim's home4
- Most crashes that result in death occur at speeds below 40 MPH3
- More than 3 out of 4 people ejected during a fatal crash die from injuries5
The facts are undeniable — wearing a seat belt is the most effective method to prevent death and severe injury in a car crash.
1 National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA Releases 2020 Traffic Crash Data (nhtsa.gov))
2 Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute (Seat Belt Statistics (teendriversource.org))
3 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (Seat belts (iihs.org))
4 Pennsylvania DOT (Seat Belts (penndot.gov))
5 National Safety Council (seat-belts-problem.pdf.aspx (nsc.org))