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Buckling Up
In
2006, 55% of passenger vehicle occupants killed in traffic
crashes were not wearing seat belts. Seat belt use, reinforced
by effective safety belt laws, is a proven lifesaver.
All states except one have seat belt use laws, but only 26
states (AK, AL, CA, CT, DE, GA, HI, IL, IN, IA, KY, LA, MA, MD,
MI, MS, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OK, OR, SC, TN, TX, WA) and the District
of Columbia have primary enforcement of their belt laws. In
states with primary enforcement, law officers may ticket a
non-belt user when they see a violation of the seat belt law.
With secondary enforcement laws, officers may issue a citation
only after stopping the vehicle for another traffic infraction.
Seat belt use is significantly higher in states with primary
enforcement laws compared to those with secondary enforcement
laws. Primary enforcement is important not only for raising
adult safety belt use, but also for increasing the number of
children who are protected by occupant restraints. Research also
shows that when adults buckle up, 87% of children get buckled up
too.
SEAT BELT FACTS
Lap-shoulder belts reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat
occupants by 45% and the risk of moderate-to-critical injuries
by 50%, depending on the type of vehicle and seating position
involved. For light truck occupants, safety belts reduce the
risk of fatal injury by 60% and moderate-to-critical injury by
65%. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA,
2005)
Seat belts are credited with preventing an estimated 15,434
fatalities in 2004. If all passenger vehicle occupants over age
4 wore safety belts, 21,273 lives could have been saved in 2004.
(NHTSA, 2005)
If all passengers were to wear their seat belts, an additional
5,839 fatalities could have been prevented in 2004. (NHTSA,
2005)
Six out of ten children who died in passenger vehicle crashes
were unbelted. (NHTSA, 2005)
The needless deaths and injuries that result from non-use of
seat belts cost society an estimated $26 billion annually in
medical care, lost productivity and other injury related costs.
(NHTSA, 2002)
The needless deaths and injuries that result from non-use of
seat belts cost society an estimated $26 billion annually in
medical care, lost productivity and other injury related costs.
(NHTSA, 2002)
Average inpatient costs for traffic crash victims who did not
use seat belts were 50% higher than for victims who were belted.
(NSC, 2001)
PRIMARY ENFORCEMENT LAW FACTS
By just enacting a primary enforcement seat belt law, usage
rates rise 10-15 percentage points. (NHTSA, 2003)
Michigan saw a 14 percent increase in their seat belt use rate
from 70 percent to 84 percent after they passed a primary
enforcement law in 2000. (NHTSA, 2003)
When California passed a primary enforcement law in 1993, usage
rates rose from 70% to 82%. Similar impacts occurred in
Louisiana, where usage rose 18 points, Georgia, where usage rose
17 points, in Maryland, where usage rose 13 points and in the
District of Columbia, where usage rose 24 points when a primary
enforcement law was combined with penalty points. (NHTSA, 2002)
In New York, prior to its primary enforcement law of 1984, the
seat belt usage rate was 11%. By fall of 1999, 76% of motorists
buckled up. (NHTSA, 2001)
Adult seat belt use is the best predictor of child occupant
restraint use. A driver who is buckled up is three times more
likely to restrain a child passenger than one who is not
buckled. (NSC, 2002)
When Louisiana adopted its primary enforcement law, child
restraint use jumped from 45 to 82% even though the state's
child passenger safety law did not change. (NHTSA, 2002)
African American men are less likely to buckle up than their
white and Hispanic counterparts, putting them at greater risk of
dying in a crash. (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention) However, research shows that for African American
men age 18-29, belt use is significantly higher in primary
enforcement states than in secondary law states, 58% v. 46%.
(American Journal of Public Health, Vol. 88, No. 2, Feb. 1998)
The Congressional Black Caucus has stated that increasing seat
belt use among African Americans is an "urgent national health
priority." The National Black Caucus of State Legislators and
the National Conference of Black Mayors have also expressed
support for strong laws that increase seat belt use and include
safeguards for uniform enforcement. (NHTSA, 2003)
Fines for not wearing a seat belt in the United States currently
range from $5 in Idaho to $75 in Oregon. The most common fine
(27 states) is $20-25. A 1995 NHTSA study of the effect of
various provisions of seat belt use laws found that for each $1
in fine level, states tend to gain about 0.08% higher belt use.
(NHTSA, 2003)
In 2004, 68 percent of the pickup truck drivers killed in
traffic crashes were not wearing restraints. (NHTSA, 2005)