FACTS

SEAT BELT USE

1. Buckling up helps keep you safe and secure inside your vehicle, whereas not buckling up can result in being totally ejected from the vehicle in a crash, which is almost always deadly. 
2. Air bags are not enough to protect you; in fact, the force of an air bag can seriously injure or even kill you if you’re not buckled up.
3. Improperly wearing a seat belt, such as putting the strap below your arm, puts you and your children at risk in a crash.
4. Teens, as both passengers and drivers, have the lowest rate of seat belt use of any age group, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
5. Seat belt use is one of the most effective ways to save lives and reduce injuries in crashes. Seat belts prevent drivers and passengers from being ejected during a crash. Parents should insist on seat belts on every trip and encourage their teens to buckle up before turning on the ignition.

STATS

• Research from the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that seat belts save about 13,000 lives in the United States annually. The NHTSA also reports that over 2,500 lives of crash victims could have been saved if they had been wearing seat belts.
• Many Americans understand the lifesaving value of the seat belt – the national use rate was at 90.7% in 2019. Seat belt use in passenger vehicles saved an estimated 14,955 lives in 2017. 
• Of the 22,215 passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2019, 47% were not wearing seat belts.
• Seat belts saved an estimated 14,955 lives and could have saved an additional 2,549 people if they had been wearing seat belts, in 2017 alone.
• In 2019, 36,096 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes on US roadways, with nearly half (47%) not wearing a seat belt.
• When used properly, seat belts reduce the risk of fatal injury to front seat passengers by 45% and the risk of moderate to critical injury by 50%.
• Seat belt use in passenger vehicles saved an estimated 14,955 lives in 2017.
• People not wearing a seat belt are 30 times more likely to be ejected from a vehicle during a crash. More than 3 out of 4 people who are ejected during a fatal crash die from their injuries.
• Teens who say their parents set rules and monitor their driving are twice as likely to wear a seat belt as a driver or passenger as teens with less involved parents.