Seatbelts Save Lives
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), buckling your seatbelt is one of the safest choices drivers and passengers can make. In 2019, the national rate of use of seatbelts was 90.7%. In the year 2017, it was reported that 37,133 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes, with 47% of those not wearing seatbelts. It is estimated that seatbelt use saved 14,955 lives. Proper use of a seatbelt is vital to ensuring the device works in the event of a motor vehicle crash. The lap and shoulder belt should be secured across the pelvis and rib cage, place the shoulder belt across the middle of your chest, away from your neck, place the lap belt across your hips, not your stomach and never put the shoulder belt behind your back or under your arm. (Source NHTSA website) Children should be properly restrained in an approved child safety seat. Texas law requires that all children younger than 8 years old, unless they are taller than 4 feet 9 inches, be secured in a child safety seat whenever they ride in a vehicle. Older children who have outgrown a booster seat must be buckled with a seat belt. Motor vehicle crashes are violent events. Unsecured items, including people, inside of the vehicle will remain in motion after impact, unless secured. Significant front impact crashes can result in ejection through the front windshield of a vehicle. Motor vehicle crashes resulting in rollovers often result in ejection through a side window as the vehicle rolls until its motion stops. Seatbelts are proven to be effective saving lives during these types of crashes. Furthermore, in slower speed or crashes from behind or the side seatbelts again are proven to reduce the risk of death and or serious bodily injury. When it comes to your life and the lives of your family members, it is important to buckle-up and to properly educate children and teen drivers on the use of seatbelts. Texas law does require the use of seatbelts by all passengers of a motor vehicle. Citations can be issued for failing to wear a seatbelt but this is
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not the goal of law enforcement. Our goal is to educate drivers on the importance of using a seatbelt. Buckle Up Tight: Back What’s Right!
Contributed by Burleson County Sheriff ’s Department Gene Hermes, Sheriff
