The Memorial Day weekend is upon us, which means many motorists and passengers will be on our roadways. The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates 45 million people are still not wearing their seatbelts when riding in motor vehicles. According to the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) statistics, "on any given day about 38 people who are not buckled-up are killed in motor vehicle crashes."
According to the NHTSA, those least likely to buckle up are:
- teens
- young adults
- males
- nighttime riders
- motorists traveling on rural roads
- individuals traveling in pick-up trucks
The "Click It or Ticket" campaign is set to run nationally through June 6, 2010. The mobilization involves more than 10,000 police agencies. Congress funded $8 million for national advertising and the program is being coordinated by the NHTSA.
Do the right thing, folks, and click it ~ avoid the ticket, and save your own life or the lives of your loved ones riding in your vehicles. May all your journeys be safe ones.
A very good and timely reminder, Kathleen. Thanks for this.
ReplyDeleteGreat advice. Seat belts do work, this I know from experience. Have a great holiday weekend.
ReplyDeleteMason
Thoughts in Progress
Thanks, le0pard13 and Mason! When I worked in Public Information, we collected stats for the media on the numbers of injuries, fatalities, DWI and BWI arrests during Memorial Day weekend, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and New Year's.
ReplyDeleteI'll never forget a fatal MVA I handled on Christmas Eve, 1986; the unbuckled father was thrown from the car & landed in a tree; the baby was strapped in the car seat in the back and just had a few scratches from the Christmas presents that flew around in the car upon impact.
Kathleen - Thanks for this timely reminder! It's a simple step to take - buckle the seat belt - and saves lives. Period. The end.
ReplyDeleteMy nineteen-year-old daughter and her friends know that whenever I take them anywhere, the car does not move until everyone's buckled in, and seatbelts are not unbuckled 'till we're parked. In fact, if we're about to go somewhere, and someone's forgotten to buckle up, I don't even have to say anything. I just sit and tap my fingers on the wheel, and invariably, the absent-minded passenger will realize within a second what's wrong, buckle up, and apologize.
Margot,
ReplyDeleteWhat you are doing, and what Le0pard13 is doing, is instilling in your children what is important when it comes to getting behind the wheel of a car. It's bad enough we have to worry about what kind of drivers our children are or will be, but there's that huge unknown: the other drivers. We can only hope they will always exercise tremendous caution, use common sense, and be diligent defensive drivers.
Suffolk County always has the highest fatality rates in NY State. There are more registered vehicles in Suffolk than any other county in the state. There is no discrimination when it comes to the victims on our roads.
I wish more parents were as insistent as you!