Have you ever been involved in a motor vehicle accident? Were you wearing your seat belt?
Many people oppose the idea of government enforcing the use of seat belts. Something about feeling forced to do this one particular task is infuriating to many; an infringement on freedom of choice is the argument. We even had someone troll us on Twitter for promoting a Click It or Ticket initiative earlier this year. While we respect people’s preferences and opinions, the fact is that seat belts save lives; nearly 63,000 of them from 2009 to 2013 in fact. Are there instances where seat belt use caused more harm than good in a crash? Yes, but by and large, it is safer to buckle up.
Not only can wearing your seat-belt save your life and prevent you more serious injury in the event of a car crash, it’s also the law in all but one state; New Hampshire. Seat belt laws, like state laws for cell phone use, are divided into two different categories for adults:
This type of primary and secondary classification does not apply to child seat belt laws which are typically targeted for children under 8 years old. Below are state seat belt laws for adults for each state, the type (primary or secondary), its required use (driver, front seats, back seats), the monetary fine for a 1st offenses, and in the last column, the number of people who died in a car crash in 2013 who were not wearing their seat belt. It is important to note that had these individuals worn their seat belt, there are no guarantees that they would have survived.
| STATE | Type | Required Seat Use | 1 st Offense Fine | Not restrained & Fatally Injured |
| Alabama | Primary | Front Seats | $25 | 373 |
| Alaska | Primary | Front & Rear | $15 | 12 |
| Arizona | Secondary | 8 -15 any seat |
Information provided by the GHSA and the IIHS.
Excluding children who, in all states, are required to be buckled in a child restraint or booster seat by their guardian, the individuals most at risk are teens. According to a 2012 online query conducted by the CDC, car crashes are the number one killer of teens in the U.S. Teens have the lowest rate of seat-belt use compared to any other age group and they also engage in dangerous driving behaviors like distracted driving and speeding more often than divers of other age groups.
If you are the parent of a teen, make sure you are effectively communicating the importance of seat belt use both when they ride as passengers and when they begin to drive themselves. This message needs to be re-enforced often along with assuring that they practice other safe driving habits like avoiding drunk, distracted, drugged, and drowsy driving among other things. If you are teen, remember this: if you are between the age of 16 and 19, you are THREE TIMES more likely to be involved in a motor vehicle accident as compared to drivers 20 or older. Wearing your seat belt can help cut your risk of serious injury and death by HALF.
