Click It or Ticket: Car Accident Safety

 Posted on December 00,0000 in Car Accidents

If you drive a vehicle, chances are you’ve heard the slogan “click it or ticket” used on more than one occasion to reinforce the importance of seatbelts as a means to reduce death and serious injury in car accidents. The National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) uses the catchy phrase as part of their nationwide campaign efforts to bring attention to the dire need for drivers to wear their seatbelts anytime, and every time they operate a vehicle. When it comes to car collision safety, the concept behind the slogan is clear: More passengers wearing seatbelts means more lives saved, and fewer tickets issued. The proof is in the statistics - wearing seatbelts saved nearly 14,000 lives in the year 2015 alone.

Seatbelt Safety’s Role in Preventing Injury and Fatality

Wearing the proper safety restraint is one of the easiest, most effective ways to protect yourself behind the wheel of a car, and doing so also sets an example for any passengers traveling with you who may otherwise choose to neglect wearing their seatbelt. The goal behind the Click It or Ticket enforcement effort is to hold drivers accountable for their part in seat belt safety through periods of increased monitoring and citation issuing. The mission is to illuminate the seat belt’s role in preventing accident injury and fatality rates across the nation.

Here is what the NHTSA found regarding the seat belt’s impact on a driver’s safety:

• Risk of fatal injury to front-seat passengers is reduced by 45 percent;
• Risk of fatal injury to light-truck drivers is reduced by 60 percent;
• In 2015, there were over 35,000 recorded deaths due to car collisions, and 48 percent of those fatalities involved passengers who did not wear seatbelts; and
• The national seat belt use rate is currently is 88.5 percent, but approximately 27.5 million still neglect to buckle up.

The Right Way to Buckle Up

All front and back seat passengers should buckle up, but wearing seat belts properly is key to making sure you are securely fastened to your seat in the event of a collision. The NHTSA recommends the following guidelines each time you buckle up:

• Make sure the belt is fastened across your lap, not your stomach. Your rib cage and pelvis are able to absorb greater crash force than other parts of your body;
• Position the belt over your chest and keep it away from your neck; and
• Resist the urge to tuck the belt behind your back or under your arm - this is very dangerous and defeats the purpose of the belt’s design.

Thankfully, seatbelt use has continued to steadily and significantly increase, but ongoing public educational efforts and special campaigns like the Click it or Ticket effort will continue to be necessary, effective tools in car accident and injury prevention. If you have been involved in a collision of any kind, it is important you speak with a knowledgeable Lake County car accident attorney to make sure you receive proper compensation for your injuries. Call Salvi & Maher, LLP today at 847-662-3303 for a personal consultation.

Sources:

https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/seat-belts

http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/drivers/traffic_safety/safetybelts.html

https://one.nhtsa.gov/people/outreach/traftech/TT270.htm