Seatbelt Use Important in ALL Seats


Be sure to fasten your seatbelt, regardless of what seat you’re in in the car.
Hundreds of people die in car wrecks every year because they don’t buckle up in the backseat, according to a new report.
There were almost 900 deaths in 2013 among kids 8 and older who were in the backseats and not wearing their seatbelt. According to the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), more than 400 of them would likely have survived if they had worn a seatbelt.
Sitting in the back seat and not wearing a seatbelt makes you about three times more likely to die in a wreck. Yet 32 states still do not have solid seatbelt laws for passengers in vehicle back seats.
Just 78 percent of adults who sit in the back seat wear a seatbelt, compared to 87 percent of adults in the front seat. Seatbelt use in fatal car crashes are 60 percent for rear passengers and 74 percent for front passengers, according to the study.
The GHSA emphasizes the need to wear your seatbelt regardless of which seat you’re in. Almost 42 million people in the United States drive 50 miles or more from home JUST for Thanksgiving. Also around Thanksgiving, there are more than 400 deaths from car accidents.
Seatbelts are there to protect passengers, and it’s important to use your seatbelt regardless of whether you are driving or sitting in a rear seat, as is common for families traveling together around holidays. Many think they are protected by the seatbacks in front of them when they’re in the back seat, but this is simply not the case.
Buckle up in every seat for every trip, no matter how far or near, front or rear. Convincing adults of this will necessitate a united effort among highway safety professionals and lawmakers alike. It will save lives, though, and be more than worthwhile.

According to the GHSA, seat belt use in states that require use in rear seats is at 83 percent compared to 74 percent in states that do not have such laws.