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Itasca, IL – The National Safety Council is reminding drivers to buckle up and drive defensively during the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s “Click It or Ticket” May Mobilization campaign. “Click It or Ticket,” the most successful safety belt enforcement campaign ever, has contributed to the highest national safety belt usage rate – 83 percent. Law enforcement will enact a zero-tolerance enforcement of safety belt laws coast-to-coast, day and night, through June 6.
The summer driving season is the deadliest time of year for motor vehicle crashes, which is why NSC asks drivers to be especially safe this Memorial Day weekend. From 6 p.m. Friday, May 28, through the end of May 31, NSC estimates 353 traffic fatalities and 19,100 nonfatal disabling injuries will occur.
Safety belt use is the most effective protection against serious crash injuries. Studies show safety belts reduce the risk of crash injuries by 50 percent. NSC estimates 270 lives will be saved this Memorial Day weekend because people wore safety belts, and an additional 92 lives could be saved if all people buckled up.
The National Safety Council (www.nsc.org) saves lives by preventing injuries and deaths at work, in homes and communities, and on the road through leadership, research, education and advocacy.