Inside this Issue - Jefferson County Public Schools

SEATBELT SAFETY
Todd Richards Jr.
According to sareroads.org, failure to wear a seat belt contributes to more fatalities than any other single traffic
safety-related behavior. I’m encouraging people to wear a seatbelt, mainly, because it’s the law, but also, because
your life is a risk. 63% of people killed in accidents are not wearing seat belts. Wearing a seat belt is still the single
most effective thing we can do to save lives and reduce injuries on America's roadways.
FACTS:
Teens between the ages of 16 to 25 are the least likely to buckle up. I can personally say that this is true, because just
last year, I lost one of my close family members to a car accident. No, he did not have a seatbelt on. His injuries
were so dramatic because his head hit the steering wheel and his eye closed shut and his head split down the middle.
His injuries were so nasty and unbearable that he had a closed casket funeral. His ribs broke through his organs
because the air bag added more pressure.
Too many teens simply do not believe they will be injured or killed. Teens are at the highest-risk drivers, with more
drunk driving, more speeding, and more crashes than in any other group.
Seat belts are the most effective safety devices in vehicles today; they are estimated to save 9,500 lives each year.
Yet only 68 percent of the motor vehicle occupants are buckled. In 1996, more than 60 percent of the occupants
killed in fatal crashes were unrestrained. I believe the only chance of not
being killed in a car crash is to wear a belt. I know sometimes people forget
about them when they get into a car, but you’re playing with your life
when you don’t wear your seatbelt.
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THE LAW:
We all pay for those who don't buckle up in higher taxes, higher health
care and higher insurance costs. A ticket for not wearing a seatbelt costs
$35 for an adult in Kentucky, and $45 for any other child or passengers in
the car.
On the
average,
inpatient
hospital care
costs for an unbelted crash victim are 50 percent higher
than those for a belted crash victim. Society bears 85
percent of those costs, not the individuals involved.
Every American pays about $580 a year toward the cost
of crashes. If everyone buckled up, this figure would
drop significantly. By reaching the goal of 90 percent
seat belt use, and 25 percent reduction in child fatalities,
we will save $8.8 billion annually a year.
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All facts are from saferoads.org &
highwaysafety.ky.gov
Visit these websites for more information
about safe driving.