Roadside Chat - Fun fact: seat belts save lives
Even though data from the 2020 Iowa Seat Belt Use Survey shows that 95.2 percent of Iowa front seat passengers buckle up, there are still people who come up with every excuse in the book not to wear a seat belt. These excuses can be deadly since nearly half of those people killed on Iowa’s roadways might have survived if they had put their excuses on the shelf and buckled their belts.
Don’t just take our word for it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website notes these facts.
- A total of 22,697 drivers and passengers in passenger vehicles died in motor vehicle crashes in 2018 in the U.S.
- More than half (range: 51%-60%) of teens (13-19 years) and adults aged 20-44 years who died in crashes in 2018 were not buckled up at the time of the crash.
Forensic animators show the impact not using seat belts can have on a family involved in a crash - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYuqLZxcz3A. Warning – This video contains graphic animations and may be disturbing to some viewers.
So far in 2021, there have been 152 deaths in traffic crashes. That is an increase of eight since last Friday. To see statistics published daily by the Office of Driver Services, go to the daily fatality report at https://www.iowadot.gov/mvd/stats/daily.pdf
Can you tell me how many teenagers died in vehicle crashes during 2021? How many so far in 2022?
Posted by: Cathy Slade | 06/10/2022 at 12:59 PM