Seat Belts

One of the safest choices drivers and passengers can make is to buckle up.¹ Tragically, seat belt use is lowest among teen drivers.² The majority of teenagers involved in fatal crashes are unbuckled.² In 2020, 52% of teen driver who died were unbuckled.² Even more troubling, is when a teen driver was involved in a fatal crash and unbuckled, 9 out of 10 of the passengers who died were also unbuckled.² There may be a false notion that teens have the right to choose whether or not to buckle up; but it is the Law. New Hampshire law requires anyone under the age of 18 who is driving or riding in a vehicle to be properly restrained.³ Drivers of vehicles with unrestrained or improperly restrained youth can receive a $62.00 fine for the first offense and $124.00 for a subsequent offense.³

In 2021 the national use rate of a seat belt was at 90.4%.¹ Seat belt use in passenger vehicles have saved an estimated 14,955 lives.¹

The consequences of not wearing, or improperly wearing, a seat belt are clear:

1. Buckling up helps to keep you safe and secure onside your vehicle, whereas not buckling up can result in being totally ejected from a vehicle in a crash; which is almost always deadly.¹
2. Air bags are not enough to protect you; in fact, the force of an air bag can seriously injure or even kill you if you’re not buckled up.¹
3. Improperly wearing a seat belt, such as putting the strap below your arm, puts you and your children at risk in a crash.¹

The benefits of buckling up are equally clear:

1. If you buckle up in the front seat of a passenger car, you can reduce your risk of:¹
   o Fatal injury by 45%.¹
   o Moderate to critical injury by 50%.¹
2. If you buckle up in a light truck, you can reduce your risk of:¹
   o Fatal injury by 60%.¹
   o Moderate to critical injury by 65%.¹

The Top 4 Things You Should Know About Buckling Up

1. Buckling up is the single most effective thing you can do to protect yourself in a crash
   o Seat belts are the best defense against impaired, aggressive, and distracted drivers.¹ Being buckled up during a crash helps keep you safe and secure inside your vehicle.¹
2. Air bags are designed to work with seat belts, not place them
   o If you don’t wear your seat belt, you could be thrown into a rapidly opening frontal air bag.¹ Such force could injure or even kill you.¹ Learn more about air bag safety here.
3. Guideline to buckle up safely
   o The lap belt and shoulder belt are secured across the pelvis and rib cage, which are better able to withstand crash forces than other parts of your body.¹
   o Place the shoulder belt across the middle of your chest and away from your neck.¹
   o The lap belt rests across your hips, not your stomach.¹
   o NEVER put the shoulder belt behind your back or under an arm.¹
   
4. Fit matters
   o Before you or your parents/caregiver buys you a new car, check to see that its seat belts are a good fit for you.¹

Bottom Line:

It only takes a few seconds to buckle up, but it could make the difference of a lifetime.