Buckle Up America 11.19.2010
For Immediate Release:
Please contact:
Terry Krohn, Director
Two Rivers Public Health Department
701 4th Avenue, Suite 1
Holdrege, NE 68949
308-995-4778
1-888-669-7154
November 19, 2010
Too Much Turkey Is No Excuse for Not Tightening Your Belt
Two Rivers Public Health Department Urges Drivers and Passengers to:
“Buckle Up America. Every Trip. Every Time.”
With the holidays upon us and millions of Americans hitting the roads, Two Rivers wants everyone to arrive safely at their destinations. They want drivers and passengers alike to remember, “Buckle Up America. Every Trip. Every Time”.
“Many of us over-indulge in holiday goodies and loosen our belts a little after dinner,” said Terry Krohn, Director of Two Rivers. “But remember, there’s nothing that should keep you from fastening your seatbelt when you get in a motor vehicle. The potential consequences are just too great.”
While seat belt use is at a record high of 85% nationwide, 45 million Americans still fail to buckle up when they get in a motor vehicle. According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), on any given day about 38 people who are not buckled up are killed in motor vehicle crashes.
In 2008, nearly 13,000 unbuckled passenger vehicle occupants lost their lives on U.S. roadways. It is estimated that nearly one third of these lives could have been saved if they had been properly belted. NHTSA statistics also show that those least likely to buckle up are teens; young adults; males; nighttime riders; motorists traveling on rural roads; and individuals traveling in pickup trucks.
The 2008 Thanksgiving holiday season was no different, from Monday, November 17, to Monday, December 1
st,
1,120 passenger vehicle occupants were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes. Tragically, more than half of those killed were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash, where restraint use was known.
According to NHTSA, regular seat belt use is the single most effective way to protect people and reduce fatalities in motor vehicle crashes. Research has shown that when lap and shoulder belts are used properly, the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants is reduced by 45 percent, and the risk of moderate to serious injury is reduced by 50 percent.
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