Whilst off at Disney World, here’s some advice to help keep you safer in the car. Buckle up, fergoshsakes!
One out of every five drivers will be involved in a traffic crash this year.
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among people age 44 and younger and the number one cause of head and spinal cord injury.
Approximately 35,000 people die in motor vehicle crashes each year. About 50 percent (17,000) of these people could be saved if they wore their safety belts.
More than 90 percent of all motorists believe safety belts are good idea, but less than 14 percent actually use them.
For maximum protection safety belts should be fastened before traveling any distance or speed. Seventy-five percent of crash deaths and injuries occur within 25 miles of home. More than half of all injury-producing motor vehicle crashes involve speeds under 40 m.p.h.
Motorists are 25 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured when they are “thrown clear” than when remain inside their vehicle.
Motorists can increase safety belt usage by example and verbal reminders. Nine out of 10 people buckle up when asked.
A common cause of death and injury to children in motor vehicles is being crushed by adults who are not wearing safety belts. One out of four serious injuries to passengers is caused by occupants being thrown into each other.
Of every 100 children who die in motor vehicle crashes at least 80 would survive if they were properly secured in an approved child safety seat or safety belts.
Three out of four families with child safety seats fail to use them correctly. Adults need to follow manufacturer’s instructions and secure seats properly before every trip.
An estimated 80 percent of American children area immunized against contagious diseases, but less than 10 percent are properly restrained when riding in a motor vehicle.
Posted by DaveBot.
Wow, very sobering statistics. I was especially stunned by the people being thrown into or crushed by other people. Me and my family always wear seat belts but sometimes people in my car don’t always buckle up. Very sad to see so much preventable death and injury…
The odd thing is that if you told the US popualtion that 35,000 mostly healthy people were dropping dead from some disease than some serious action would be taken…the death and injury here is almost epidemic proportion, some serious action involving car safety needs to be taken! (People wearing seatbelts, DWI, safer cars, better driver training, etc..)
These statistics sound wrong to me. One in five drivers? Really? May crease a fender in a parking lot, but a ‘crash’? Admittedly my circle is hardly a random sample but it seems off.
And less than 14% use seat belts? I do not know a single person who fails to buckle up. Just stand by main street and watch cars go by – the percentage is much better than that.
The stats of differential survivability seem about right.
All that said, I have often wondered why some people are unafraid of being decapitated by the windshield but will buckle up to avoid a $50 fine. Doesn’t really matter as long as they DO buckle up but it is curious all the same.
I have a very simple rule: My car doesn’t move until everybody’s buckled in. No exceptions. I even buckle up for that last 100 feet from the mailbox to my door.
When I worked at Domino’s Pizza, I knew several drivers who proudly announced that they don’t use seatbelts. “Too uncomfortable,” and “I need freedom of movement to lean over and grab my drink” were typical of their reasons.
Me? I just don’t feel right if I don’t feel the belt pressing against me. I’m constantly tugging on it to make sure it’s tight.
It’s really a habit — just like the familiar pressure of a wallet or watch or cell phone, driving when not buckled just feels wrong.
The 14% figure does sound wrong. The DOT says it’s more like 80%. Though I wonder how much of it is an “always” vs “usually” vs “sometimes” thing.
The 14% stat appears to be a 1984 one (pretty constant 10-15% usage from the 50s to the early 80s) — remarkably, it does indeed seem that mandatory safety belt laws have had a dramatic effect on buckling up.
On the other hand, in 2004 the fatality rate was 42,000. In 2005 it was up to 43,000. The NHTSA notes over 6 million non-fatal crashes in 2004, which seems lower the 1-in-5 drivers stat. Further, in 2004, according to the same report, there were 950 injuries and 15 deaths per 100,000 population.
That all said — it’s still worthwhile to buckle the damned safety belt.