As a personal injury lawyer and car accident attorney I am all too familiar with the horrendous consequences of not wearing a seatbelt. 63% of all individuals that were killed in a car accident were not wearing a seat belt at the time of the incident. With the push over the last twenty years to increase seat belt usage via traffic citations it may seem a little unnecessary to mention seat belt safety, but with 17% of the over 300 million people in the population not using safety restraints the concern is still relevant.
Wearing a seatbelt is clearly important, but users must make sure they are using the seatbelt properly to be truly protected. Do not tuck the shoulder strap of the seatbelt behind your arm- using only a lap belt does not protect you from being ejected from the vehicle in an accident which is a significant contributor to accident deaths. Also, if using automatic seat belts you must also use the lap belt portion- using only the shoulder harness does not prevent you from injuring the spine, head or neck.
By simply wearing a seat belt properly your chance of surviving a car accident is increased by 45%. You will also afford yourself some savings at the hospital. The hospital costs for unbelted car accident victims runs 50% higher than for those wearing a seatbelt. This of course is due to the increased severity of the injuries sustained by those not wearing a seat belt. Increased injuries mean more intense care and increased hospital stays resulting in a significantly higher bill.

In addition to increased medical bills you may suffer penalties even if you are not at fault in the accident. Many states will reduce the compensation you received from the at-fault driver because of the lack of a safety restraint. The victim in considered comparatively negligent for not protecting themselves and held partially responsible for the injuries they sustained in the accident.

The number of seat belt users has been steadily increasing since legislation started the push for stricter laws in the late 80’s and early 90’s. Currently, around 83% of all drivers and passengers use seat belts, whereas in 1994, the average was close to 60%.

Certain states seem to have better track records with seat belt usage.15 of the states have seatbelt usage rates over 90% including: Michigan, Hawaii, Washington State, Oregon and California which are all over 95%. States such as Massachusetts, Whyoming and New Hampshire all have usage rates under 70%. States with seatbelt laws as a primary offense have compliance rates of about 88% while states with seatbelt laws as a secondary offense sit at 75% usage.

According to research males between the ages of 16 and 25 are the biggest perpetrators of the seatbelt-less driving offense. This age group also claims the title of the highest-risk drivers – gathering more drunk driving, and speeding offense and being involved in more car accidents than any other group.

Take the simple precaution when driving and buckle up fully—and ensure the safety of other passengers in the car and ask them to do the same.