CDC Study Finds Seat Belt Use Up to 85 Percent Nationally

Almost 6 out of 7 U.S. drivers surveyed report that they always wear a seat belt when driving or riding in a motor vehicle, according to a study released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Seat belt use has become the national norm in most states, though rates of self-reported seat belt use vary widely from state to state, with a high of 94 percent (Oregon) and a low of 59 percent (North Dakota).

Still, every 14 seconds, an adult in the United States is treated in an emergency department for crash-related injuries.

"A simple step that most drivers and passengers in the United States already take—buckling their seat belts—cuts in half the chance of being seriously injured or killed in a crash," said CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH. "Yet, about 1 in 7 adults do not wear a seat belt on every trip. If everyone in the vehicle buckled up every time, we could further reduce one of the leading causes of death."

The study was in Vital Signs, a section of CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).

The study found that states with primary seat belt enforcement laws, where police officers can pull cars over and issue tickets solely because drivers and passengers are unbelted, have higher rates of seat belt use than states with secondary enforcement laws, which only allow officers to issue tickets to drivers who have been pulled over for violating another law. States with primary enforcement laws had an overall seat belt use rate of 88 percent, whereas states with secondary enforcement laws had an overall seat belt use rate of 79 percent. The national average for seat belt use is 85 percent.

If the secondary law states had achieved 88 percent belt use in 2008, it would have resulted in an additional 7.3 million adults buckling up.

Though 1 in 3 U.S. adults lived in states with secondary enforcement laws in 2008, residents of these states accounted for 49 percent of the unbelted drivers and passengers on U.S. roads. Nineteen states do not have primary enforcement seat belt laws.

"As seatbelt use increases and more states pass primary enforcement laws, we are seeing crash-related injuries decline," said Linda Degutis, Dr. PH, MSN, director of CDC's Injury Center. "This indicates that primary enforcement laws, paired with vigorous enforcement programs, get more people to wear seat belts. We know that buckling up can make a life-saving difference."

For the study, CDC researchers analyzed two national sources: 2009 National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-All Injury Program data on non-fatal injuries treated in emergency departments nationwide and 2008 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data on self-reported risk behaviors.

To help increase seat belt use and protect more people on the road, CDC supports:

Primary enforcement seat belt laws that cover all drivers and passengers of appropriate age and size, regardless of whether they are sitting in the front or back seat of the vehicle.
According to previous research by CDC and others, everyone is encouraged to take the following steps:

Use a seat belt on every trip, no matter how short.
Encourage everyone in the car to buckle up, including those in the back seat.
Make sure children are properly buckled up in a seat belt, booster seat, or car seat, whichever is age- and size-appropriate.
Have all children ages 12 and under sit in the back seat.
CDC is also releasing "Policy Impact: Seat Belts," one in a series of briefs highlighting key public health issues, and important science-based policy actions that can be taken to address them. Through this new publication, CDC supports state-based efforts to strengthen seat belt policies and prevent crash-related injuries and deaths. (www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/seatbeltbrief)

CDC's Injury Center works to protect the safety of everyone on the roads, every day. For more information about seat belts and motor vehicle safety, please visit www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety and www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns.

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

States Strengthen Seat Belt and Texting Laws

/PRNewswire/ -- GHSA applauds Georgia, Kansas and Vermont for enacting new laws to improve highway safety in their states. Kansas and Georgia strengthened their seat belt and distracted driving laws, while all three states have banned texting for all drivers.

Yesterday (June 3), Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue signed a bill that removed a pickup truck exemption in that state's seat belt law. Now, all Georgians must 'Click It or Ticket.' State estimates indicate at least 100 lives annually will be saved by requiring pickup drivers to be belted. Today (June 4), Governor Perdue also signed a bill banning cell phone use for novice drivers as well a ban on texting for all drivers. Georgia is now the 28th state to ban texting for all drivers.

Earlier this week, Vermont Governor Jim Douglas added his state to the list of those with a texting while driving ban. In only three years since the first statewide texting ban, states have been quickly acting to address this problem. GHSA expects more states to come on board in the near future.

Last week, Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson signed a primary seat belt bill that allows Kansas police to stop drivers who are not buckled up. Prior to this, Kansas law enforcement officers could only issue tickets for failure to wear a seat belt if a driver was stopped for another traffic violation, such as speeding. The new law also requires all vehicle occupants to buckle up, not just those in the front seat. Kansas will get $11 million in federal funding for passing the new law, which becomes effective June 10. Governor Parkinson also recently signed a statewide texting while driving ban.

GHSA Executive Director Barbara Harsha notes, "Georgia, Vermont and Kansas have set a good example for other states by strengthening their highway safety laws. We know that primary seat belt laws are the single most effective thing states can do to save lives on their roads. And texting bans send the message that drivers need to focus on the task at hand--driving."

For a list of all state seat belt laws, visit: www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/seatbelt_laws.html.

Distracted driving laws can be found at: www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/cellphone_laws.html.

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter:  @GAFrontPage

State Troopers and DPS Officers Have Begun Holiday Seat Belt Enforcement Effort

Georgia State Troopers and officers with the Georgia Department of Public Safety Motor Carrier Compliance Division and Capitol Police Services Unit joined their law enforcement counterparts across the United States on Monday, November 16, for Operation Click It or Ticket. The two-week, high-visibility seat belt enforcement effort will target motorists who are not wearing their seat belts or properly restraining children.

Colonel Bill Hitchens, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety, said seat belt enforcement has proven to save lives. "Through enforcement and education, more people are using seat belts than ever before and that has translated to more lives saved when traffic crashes occur," he said. "But, far too many people are still not buckling up or taking the time to properly restrain children."

Last year during the 102-hour Thanksgiving holiday travel period, the Georgia State Patrol investigated 10 fatal crashes between 6 p.m. Wednesday and midnight the following Sunday. "Of the 10 fatal crashes troopers investigated, six of the people killed were not wearing seat belts; one crash victim was a motorcyclist; and use could not be determined in one crash," the Commissioner noted.

Nationally, nighttime is the worst for seat belt use, according to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Of the 231 traffic deaths in crashes occurring at night during the Thanksgiving holiday period in 2008, 67 percent were not wearing seat belts.

Colonel Hitchens said troopers will be keeping a close watch for seat belt violations during patrols over the next two weeks and MCCD officers will be watching for seat belt violations by drivers of commercial motor vehicles as well. "Federal regulations require safety belt use at all times in a commercial motor vehicle," he said.

"Wearing a seat belt costs you nothing, and may save your life or protect you from a serious, possibly life-altering injury," Colonel Hitchens said. "Not wearing a seat belt, especially during this Thanksgiving period, will definitely cost you a ticket at the very least."

Regular seat belt use is the single most effective way to protect people and reduce fatalities in motor vehicle crashes, according to NHTSA. Research has shown that when lap and shoulder belts are used properly, the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants is reduced by 45 percent, and the risk of moderate to serious injury is reduced by 50 percent.

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page