Seat Belts Save Lives
Seat belts save lives.
That’s more than an ad campaign or safety slogan – it’s a statistical fact.
Earlier this month the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced that the number of overall traffic fatalities reported at the end of 2009 reached the lowest level since 1954, the fourth straight year for a decrease.
The projected fatality data for 2009 places the highway death count at 33,963, a drop of 8.9 percent as compared to the 37,261 deaths reported in 2008. The fatality rate for 2009 declined to the lowest on record, to 1.16 fatalities per 100 million Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) down from 1.25 fatalities per 100 million VMT in 2008.
In Tennessee, preliminary figures indicate the number of traffic fatalities declined sharply again in 2009, dropping from 1,043 in 2008 to 962 in 2009.
Federal and state officials attribute that decline, in large part, to increased seat belt use.
“Wearing a seat belt costs nothing and yet it’s the single most effective traffic safety device ever invented,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “We want to let the American people know that by failing to wear your seat belt, you not only risk serious injury or death, you also risk getting a ticket.”
It seems the message to “Buckle Up” is working. Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that seat belt use has risen to a record level of 84 percent, up one percent from 2008. Each percent increase translates to an estimated 280 additional lives that will be saved.
In Tennessee, safety belt usage has improved significantly since the introduction of the Primary Safety Belt Law. According to 2009 data, the safety belt usage rate in Tennessee was 80.6 percent. Despite increases, 57 percent of the total passenger vehicle occupants involved in fatal crashes were not buckled up.
If seat belt use continues to increase, studies show tens of thousands of deaths and injuries can be avoided.
A USDOT study released last May estimates that 1,652 lives could be saved and 22,372 serious injuries avoided each year on America’s roadways if seat belt use rates rose to 90 percent in every state. The new research report, based on 2007 data, also estimates that seat belts saved a stunning 15,147 lives that year.
Seat belt safety campaigns and seat belt law enforcement will continue to try to save more lives.
A recent seat belt PSA from England has become an Internet phenomenon. Instead of the usual effort to shock and scare the viewer, the makers of the “Embrace Life” video use serene depiction a family in their living room with the father pretending to drive a car and the mother and daughter jumping in when he gets into trouble. The 90-second slow-motion piece set to gentle music has been called “moving” and “lovely.” And it’s had more than 5 million views since its release earlier this year, as well as links posted across the internet, on auto forums, Facebook/Twitter and even PC Gamer communities.
Tennessee and a number of states are using “Click It or Ticket” campaigns to promote seat belt use and make drivers aware of the laws regarding seat belts. Enforcement blitzes are typically scheduled around Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day. But drivers and passengers are always subject to the law when in moving vehicles.
Tennessee Department of Public Safety figures show seven people were killed in traffic crashes on Tennessee roadways during the 78-hour Memorial Day holiday period last year. This is a drop from the 13 fatalities that occurred during the 2008 Memorial Day holiday weekend and 21 deaths in 2007.
Five of the people killed last Memorial Day were vehicle occupants. One motorcyclist and one pedestrian were also killed.
“Four of the five people killed in vehicle crashes over the weekend were not wearing their seat belt,” stated Tennessee Highway Patrol Colonel Mike Walker. “How many of those victims would still be here today if they had taken a few seconds to just buckle up?”
Get to know Nashville Lawyer Mitch by watching his videos.
Read more at Mitch’s legal blog. ^(http://www.askmitchnow.com/blog)
Check out useful advice about 0 car finance – please make sure to go through the site. The times have come when proper info is really at your fingertips, use this chance.
Tags: seat belt quotes, seat belt slogans, seatbelt slogans, seatbelt quotes, quotes about seat belts, wear seat belt quotes, wear your seatbelt slogans, seat belt safety quotes, slogans for wearing seat belts, seatbelt sloganSeat Belts Save Lives By auto | April 23, 2010
Related Posts on Topics Legal :
- » How Bail Bonds Work Properly
- » Accident Lawyers - Suggestions To Be Taken In Consideration When You Suffered Form An Injury
- » How To Become A Bail Agent
- » Bail Laws In Different Countries
- » DUI Lawyers And Their Services Provided
