Have you ever got into the seat of your vehicle and thought “I am just going on a short drive, I don’t need to wear my seatbelt?”  The reality is that, no matter how short your drive will be, you put your life at risk when you get behind the wheel of your car without strapping in.  Similarly, you are allowing your passengers to take a great risk if you don’t insist upon having them wear a seatbelt.

In addition to the potential harm that you and your passengers may incur when driving without a seatbelt, failure to wear seatbelts has also lead to increased insurance rates.  In fact, according to research, literally millions of dollars could be saved each year if everyone would buckle up when they get insi de a vehicle.

Looking at the Statistics

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, seatbelts were able to prevent 135,000 deaths and 3.8 million injuries between the years of 1876 and 2002.  In all, this saved $585 billion in medical costs.  The National Traffic Safety Administration has also estimated that, if everyone involved in an accident during that time had been wearing a seatbelt, an additional 315,000 deaths and another 5.2 million injuries likely would have been prevented.  By preventing these deaths and injuries, another $913 billion could have been saved.  By saving this money, the cost of your insurance rates could have been kept lower.

Properly Wearing a Seatbelt 

In order to obtain the life-saving and money saving effects of seatbelts, it is important for you to wear your seatbelt properly.  First of all, the seatbelt should be kept low and snug across your lap or pelvis.  In addition, you should never wear your seatbelt across your stomach or wear the shoulder strap behind your back or in front of your face.  Rather, you should wear the shoulder strap snugly across your collarbone and chest. 

Another thing to keep in mind is that it is important to continue wearing your seatbelt even if your vehicle is equipped with air bags.  Remember, air bags and seatbelts are designed to work together.  As such, the air bag is not designed to be used in place of the seatbelt.  It is also important to remember to keep children under the age of 12 properly bucked in their seats and in child safety seats if necessary.

Related Articles of Interest:

1. Keeping Your Child Safe While Riding in Your Car Did you know that approximately 500 children between the ages of 4 and 7 are killed each year in automobile accidents? In addition, thousands more...
2. Buckle Up, Stay Alive, Save on Car Insurance Most motorists are aware that seat belts and child safety seats can save lives; the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that over 15,000 lives...
3. Texas Drivers Among the Safest in the Country According to the Texas Transportation Institute, drivers in Texas are among the safest in the United States (prweb.com).  The Institute came to this conclusion after...
4. Saving Money on Your Auto Insurance During these difficult economic times, you are likely looking for ways to save money in any way you can. If so, you will be glad...
5. 7 Ways To Save Money On Your Commute Gasoline prices may be significantly lower than the record highs of last summer, but that offers little solace to most people, because the country has...