New Age Venus-Seat Belts: A Life & Death Choice

THE INTERNET MAGAZINE FOR THE MODERN WOMAN

Seat Belts: A Life & Death Choice

CLICK IT FOR KASEY

NO EXCEPTIONS,

NO EXCUSES

By: Marion Flores

This is written in honor of Kasey L. Baley, who died in a vehicular accident on June 11, 2010. She was driving home from work at 2:30 in the morning. As she turned the corner, she lost control of her vehicle and it hit a parked truck. Kasey was not wearing her seat belt and was thrown from the drivers seat into the passenger’s side of the car. She was just a block from home, when her life was tragically and instantaneously lost. 22 year old, Baley’s family shares the tragedy of their story (Kasey's Dedication), in the hopes of saving even one life.

We have all been taught the basic importance of seat belt use. But, have you ever really stopped to think about the intense importance of simply, “Clicking It?” Let’s review some important statistics that every adult should ponder before making the choice to drive without proper using their seat belt. Currently, there are 31 states, that have a, “Primary Seat Belt Law,” this allows for unbuckled occupants of a vehicle can be pulled over and ticketed solely for the no buckling compliance. Eighteen other states have secondary seat belt laws. In fact, there is only one single state, New Hampshire, which currently does not have a seat belt law for adults over the age of 18. There are actually 25 different countries around the world that have similar type laws. Even with these laws in place adult seat belt use only remains at approximately 83%, and in 16-24 year old that percent drops according to Edgar Snyder and Associates Law Firm.

We must then evaluate some of the reasons why 49 states and numerous countries considered it important enough to enact seat belt laws, in an effort to protect their citizens. According to James Madison University, 1 in every 5 drivers will be involved in a traffic accident this year. We have all seen a commercial, ad, or DMV book that emphatically states seat belts save lives. The realities of that simple act are startling. According to Edgar Snyder and Associates Law Firm, Wearing a seat belt regardless of positioning in a car, can reduces the risk of fatal injury by almost 50%. They further state, “Fifty-five percent of those killed in passenger vehicle occupant crashes in 2008 were not wearing a seat belt.”

According to the National Traffic Highway Safety Administration (NTHSA), vehicular accidents were responsible for 42,642 deaths, in 2006 alone. The NTHSA’s shocking information continues, they believe that nearly 56%, or 16,836 people, of the 30,251 with available restraint information were not wearing seat belts at the time of their 2006 fatal auto accident. That means that nearly 17,000 lives could have been saved in 2006, just by buckling up, before they ever move their vehicle.

James Madison University’s site advises that, 80% of vehicle accidents involving child deaths could be prevented by proper seat belt use. In conclusion, statistics say seat belt use saves lives. Please help us honor yourself and the Baley family by simply, “Clicking it for Kasey” before driving. It may just save your life, literally. Make sure, you discuss the importance of seat belt use with your teen age children; they are the group most at risk for not buckling up.

http://www.jmu.edu/safetyplan/vehicle/generaldriver/safetybelt.shtml
http://www.edgarsnyder.com/news/seatbelts/seat-belts-statistics.html
http://www.nhtsa.gov/