Safety Belt Use Saves Lives And Dollars

• Safety belts have saved 14,164 American lives in 2002.²⁰ Yet, 59 percent of the passenger vehicle occupants killed in traffic crashes, were unrestrained.²¹
  
• Research shows that lap/shoulder belts, when used properly, reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants by 45 percent and the risk of moderate to critical injury by 50 percent. For light truck occupants, the effectiveness increases to 60 and 65 percent, respectively, and to 80 percent in rollover crashes.²²
  
• Safety belts should always be worn, even when riding in vehicles equipped with air bags. Air bags are designed to work with safety belts, not by themselves. Air bags provide about an 11 percent reduction in fatality risk for the belted driver, and 14 percent for the unbelted driver in potentially fatal crashes.²³
  
• Safety belt use saves society an estimated $50 billion annually in medical care, lost productivity, and other injury-related costs.²⁴
  
• Conversely, safety belt non-use results in significant economic costs to society. The needless deaths and injuries from safety belt non-use result in an estimated $26 billion in economic costs to society annually.²⁵

Child Safety Seats/Booster Seats Help Protect Children

• In 2002, 459 children under the age of five died in crashes on our Nation’s highways as passengers in motor vehicles. An estimated 185 (40 percent) of these children were totally unrestrained.²⁶ More than twice as many children ages 0-4 died on rural roadways as compared to urban roadways, and almost half of those killed in rural areas were unrestrained. Over twice as many child fatalities ages 4-7 were on rural roadways and two and a half times more child fatalities age 8-15 compared to urban roadways.²⁷
  
• Research shows that child safety seats reduce fatal injury for infants (less than 1 year old) by 71 percent and toddlers (1-4 years old) by 54 percent in passenger cars. For infants and toddlers in light trucks, the corresponding reductions are 58 and 59 percent, respectively.²⁸
  
• Adult safety belt use is an important predictor of restraint use among children. Observations conducted in 2002 showed that young children were restrained 92 percent of the time when the driver was belted and only 72 percent of the time when the driver was not buckled up.²⁹
  
• Children 12 years of age and younger should be appropriately restrained in the back seat whenever possible, especially in vehicles equipped with passenger air bags. Because of their small stature, children are at high risk for sustaining fatal head and spinal cord injury from a deploying air bag in a crash. Owners of pickup trucks and cars with no rear seat or small rear seats that will not properly accommodate child safety seats should have an on/off switch installed for the passenger air bag. The switch should always be turned to the “OFF” position when a child age 12 or younger is transported in the front seat. If the vehicle has a passenger air bag but is not equipped with an air bag on-off switch, owners should contact NHTSA at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT and ask for a brochure Air Bags and On/Off Switches, and application for getting a switch installed.³⁰
  
• Children (and adults) should not be permitted to ride in the cargo areas of pickup trucks under any circumstances.
  

Stronger Safety Belt Laws Can Make A Difference

• Safety belt use laws vary from State to State. As of the end of 2003, 20 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico now have primary laws, 29 States have secondary laws, and New Hampshire has no adult law. A primary safety belt law allows a law enforcement officer to issue a citation solely when the officer simply observes an unbelted driver or passenger. A secondary law means that a citation for not wearing a safety belt can only be written after the officer stops the vehicle or cites the offender for another infraction. Other major variances in the laws include: amount of fines, seating positions covered, and vehicle exemptions.
  
• Primary safety belt laws are much more effective in increasing safety belt use, because people are more likely to buckle up when there is the perceived risk of receiving a citation for not doing so. In 2003, the average safety belt use rate in States with primary enforcement laws was eight percentage points higher than in States without primary enforcement laws – 83 versus 75 respectively.³¹ Among pickup trucks the rate was 71 percent versus 55 percent respectively (based on 2002 data).
  
• Laws making it illegal for children (up to 18 years old) to ride in the cargo area of pickup trucks, vary from State to State as well. Some States have laws without exemptions; other States include exemptions such as, when all seats are occupied, age specifications, vehicle speed, road type, special events or circumstances, etc.