Click It Or Ticket – It’s Not about Citations, It’s About Saving Lives

Hey, don’t buckle your seat belt. Why bother having to sling an annoying band over your torso when you can enjoy a fresh, newly printed citation or the freedom of flying through a windshield in the event of a crash…. Crashes are no laughing matter and neither are the deaths that result from them but hopefully, we have your attention because your life could depend on it.

There is a National Seat Belt Enforcement campaign underway and the NHTSA is mobilizing men, woman, and children as well to spread the word. The message is simple: CLICK IT OR TICKET! It’s certainly not new. I’m sure everyone has heard that phrase more than they would care to. But the facts are clear; SEAT BELTS SAVE LIVES.

• 9,580 unbuckled passenger vehicle occupants were killed in crashes in the US in 2013
• 12,174 lives were saved by seat belts from US motorists involved in a crash in 2012
• 3,031 lives could have been saved if occupants would have worn their seat belt in 2012

A total of 63,000 lives could have been saved from 2008 to 2012 had occupants of vehicles involved in crashes worn their seat belt. Luckily these days, a much larger percentage of all motorist and passengers buckle up (87%). Until we can reach a national average of 100% though, we all need to fully support National Seat Belt Enforcement this year, every year, and year-round. While we may never get everyone to wear a seat belt every time they are in a vehicle, you never know who’s life you could safe just by passing on the word. If you need more convincing on how serious driving without a seat belt could be, take a few seconds to watch these clips provided by the NHTSA:

Hopefully, these videos can knock some good sense into those of you driving or riding in a vehicle without a seat belt. If that’s not enough, check out these numbers:

• Almost half of vehicle occupants who died in crashes did not have their seat belt on
• Among young adults 18 to 34 years old killed in crashes, 61% were unrestrained—the highest percentage of all age groups
• Men make up about 65% of those killed in crashes (out of 21,132 in 2013)
• More than 35% of children under 12 who were killed in a crash in 2013 were unrestrained (out of 638 deaths)

No one can turn back time so we urge you to get in the habit of putting your seat belt on every time you get  in a car. If you are the driver, make sure anyone who tags along with you also has their seat belt on too; NO SEAT BELT, NO RIDE!

Have a safe  Memorial Day Weekend!

#BuckleUp #SeatBeltsSaveLives #ClickItOrTicket