Seat Belt Laws Save Lives

Drivers are wearing seat belts more than ever and it is resulting in the risk of being killed or severely injured in an automobile accident by at least half.
Last year, drivers and passengers in the U.S. used seat belts more than they ever have before, at a rate of 86 percent. It's a good thing too, because motor vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of death for people between the ages of five and 34, and seat belts cut the risk of being killed or seriously injured in a crash in half.

Seat belts are used more in states which have primary enforcement laws than states that do not. Primary enforcement means that a police officer can pull a driver over and ticket them for nonuse of a seat belt, even if no other traffic violations were present. Secondary enforcement laws only allow officers to ticket motorists who aren't wearing their seat belts if they have pulled them over for another violation. There are currently 32 states and the District of Columbia that have primary seat belt laws. In those states seat belt usage is at 88%, while states with secondary laws have an average usage rate of 79%.

Besides the allure of safety and protection in the event of an accident, hefty traffic fines provide incentive for drivers and passengers to buckle up on the road. In states that enforce either primary or secondary seat belt laws (every state except for New Hampshire) fines for not wearing a seat belt range anywhere from $10 to $200.

To save more lives, states are encouraged to pass primary enforcement seat belt laws, and to make sure that those laws apply to not only the driver, but to everyone in the vehicle. Currently seat belt laws in only 26 states and the District of Columbia cover all occupants, including those in the rear seat.