Seat Belts Proven to Save Thousands of Lives Each Year
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states, more than half of all drivers and passengers killed in 2009 in auto accidents across the country were not wearing seat belts. In fact, 4,000 people may have survived their auto accident if they had just fastened their seat belts, a simple step that 1 in 7 people do not do.
Data Proves the Effectiveness of Seat Belts
The CDC has collected motor vehicle safety data proving seat belts save lives and decrease the occurrence of serious injury in auto accidents. In fact, data collected shows that in 2009, thirteen thousand lives were saved by seat belts, and the risk of death in auto accidents was decreased by 45 percent and the risk of serious injury cut by 50 percent when drivers and their passengers wore their seat belts. (https://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/seatbeltbrief/index.html)
Traffic safety information collected by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) in 2009 found that:
- 309 children under the age of 4 were saved by restraints
- 12,713 people aged 5 and over were saved by seat belts
- Another 3,688 lives could have been saved by the use of seat belts
Increasing the Effectiveness of Seat Belts
In an effort to encourage more drivers to save their lives and the lives of their passengers, The Cochran-Ohio firm and the CDC recommends that everyone in the vehicle utilize their seat belts during any trip, no matter how short.
The CDC also recommends that states pass primary enforcement seat belt laws that allow law enforcement officers to pull a car over and issue a ticket if anyone in the car is not using their seat belt. They also suggest that fines for not wearing a seat belt are kept high enough to be effective, and that the public should be educated about how many lives seat belts save so that everyone would use their restraints.
We recommend that drivers remind adults 18 – 34 to wear their seat belts, as this age range is the least likely to wear restraints. The CDC says that men are also less likely to wear seat belts then women are, so special attention should be given to male drivers and passengers to ensure they buckle up.
About The Cochran Firm – Ohio
As an experienced personal injury law firm, The Cochran Firm has positioned itself to handle civil cases on behalf of its clients in the areas of bus/truck/automobile accidents, personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, product liability, and nursing home abuse. At The Cochran Firm, our highway accident lawyers know how to build an effective case that will maximize your recovery. The attorneys and staff at The Firm are committed to upholding the standards of excellence set by its founding partner in representing all of their clients. For over 40 years, The Cochran Firm – Ohio’s team of highly experienced lawyers have continually fought for justice for all of its clients. If you have been injured in a bus/car/truck accident, call the trusted bus accident lawyers at Ohio’s full-service law firm “The Cochran Firm – Ohio” today at 513-381-HURT.