Failing to Use Seat Belts
For drivers and passengers, seat belt use is one of the most effective ways to save lives and reduce crash injuries. Yet millions do not buckle up on every trip.
Frontal Crash Tests
Deaths
Road crashes are the leading cause of death in the country, resulting in almost 43,000 people losing their lives in 2022. More than 50% of those who died in a crash on our nation's highways were not buckled up. As the video emphasizes, many drivers and passengers are injured or killed in a crash when struck by others sitting behind who are not wearing seat belts.
Injuries
According to NHTSA, there well over 2 million passenger car injury accidents in the U.S. every year. Young adult drivers and passengers (18-24) have the highest crash-related non-fatal injury rates of all adults.
The Consequences
Why no seat belt? (Graphic Content)
The consequences of failing to properly wear seat belts can not only be tragic for the victims; they can be horrific for those who witness the consequences.
The consequences of not wearing, or improperly wearing, a seat belt are clear:
- Occupants ejected in non-rollover crashes are nearly twice as likely to die. Those who are ejected in rollover crashes are four times more likely to die.
- Airbags are not enough to protect occupants; in fact, the force of an airbag can seriously injure or even kill if occupants are not buckled up.
- Improperly wearing a seat belt, such as putting the strap below the arm, puts occupants at risk of increased injury in a crash.
For more information about the use of seat belts in your state, see the CDC's Buckle Up: Restraint Use State Fact Sheets.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
1-8. What percentage of highway fatalities involved those who were not wearing seat belts?
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