Change Habits to Save Lives- 2015 Click It or Ticket

2015 Click It or Ticket

FACT SHEET

Change Habits to Save Lives

Be a Part of the Progress

• From May 18 to 31, State and local law enforcement agencies across the nation are stepping up enforcement to crack down on motorists who aren’t wearing their seat belts.

• The national seat belt use rate is at 87 percent, which is good, but we can do better. The other 13 percent—an estimated 27.5 million people—still need to be reminded that seat belts save lives.

Enforce Life-Saving Laws

• Click It or Ticket isn’t about the citations; it’s about saving lives. In 2013, there were 9,580 unbuckled passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes in the United States. To help prevent crash fatalities, we need to step up enforcement and crack down on those who don’t wear their seat belts.

• Seat belt use is required by law for a reason: In 2012 seat belts saved an estimated 12,174 people from dying. From 2008 to 2012 seat belts saved nearly 63,000 lives.

• If all passenger vehicle occupants 5 and older involved in fatal crashes had worn their seat belts, an additional 3,031 lives could have been saved in 2012 alone.

Face the Facts

• In 2013, nearly half of the motor vehicle occupants who died in crashes were unrestrained.

• Among young adults 18 to 34 years old killed in crashes, 61 percent were completely unrestrained—the highest percentage of all age groups.

• In 2013, there were 638 children 12 and younger killed in motor vehicle crashes. Of those fatalities, more than a third (38%) were unrestrained.

• Men make up the majority of those killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes. In 2013, about 65 percent of the 21,132 passenger vehicle occupants killed were men. So it comes as no surprise that they wear their seat belts at a lower rate than women do – 54 percent of men in fatal crashes were unrestrained, compared to 41 percent for women.

Bust the Myths

• Vehicle type: There seems to be a misconception among those who drive and ride in pickup trucks that their large vehicles will protect them more than other vehicles in crashes. But the numbers say otherwise. Sixty-three percent of pickup truck occupants who were killed were not buckled up. That’s compared to 43 percent of passenger car occupants who were killed while not wearing their seat belts. Regardless of vehicle type, seat belt use is the single most effective way to stay alive in a crash.

·         Seating position: Too many people wrongly believe they are safe in the back seat unrestrained. Half of all front-seat occupants killed in crashes in 2012 were unrestrained, but 61 percent of those killed in back seats were unrestrained.

• Rural versus urban locations: People who live in rural areas might believe that their crash exposure is lower, but in 2013, there were 13,038 crash fatalities in rural locations, compared to 8,079 crash fatalities in urban locations. Out of those fatalities, 51 percent of those killed in the rural locations were not wearing their seat belts, compared to 46 percent in urban locations.

Click or Ticket—Day and Night

• High-visibility seat belt enforcement is important 24 hours a day, but nighttime is especially deadly for unbuckled occupants. In 2013, about 59 percent of passenger vehicle occupants were killed at night (6 p.m. – 5:59 a.m.) who were not wearing their seat belts.

Learn more about the Click It or Ticket mobilization at www.nhtsa.gov/ciot