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The High Price of Not Buckling Up
How often do we hear, "It's nobody's business but my own,
if I don't wear my seat belt."? How many of us believe the decision to wear or not
to wear a safety belt is a personal matter that has no impact on anyone else?
Nothing could be further from the truth. It is our business because the decision
of others not to buckle up hits us all right in the pocket book. The people who
do the right thing and wear seat belts are paying for those who don't -- particularly
since many people injured while not wearing a safety belt have inadequate insurance
or none at all.
Think about this -- the inpatient hospital costs to treat an unbelted crash victim
are at least 50 percent or higher than those for belted victims. And society pays
85 percent of those costs -- not the individual drivers involved. (See
Note 1
)
We all pay for:
Americans are paying $14.3 billion per year in injury-related costs for people who
don't wear seat belts. On average, those injured pay for less than 30 percent of
these total costs. The remaining 70 percent - $10.1 billion, is paid for by society
through higher automobile and health insurance rates and through public assistance
programs funded with federal and state tax revenues. (See Note
2
)
By increasing seat belt use from the current 68 percent to 90 percent, we would
save $356 million a year in Medicare and Medicaid costs alone.(See
Note 3
)
It is estimated that each driver who buckles up is paying an additional auto insurance
premium of $40 per year to cover the costs of the drivers who don't buckle up.(See
Note 4
)
Costs to Employers
One-third of the $55 billion resulted from off-the-job injuries to workers and
their dependents.
On-the-job motor vehicle crashes cost employers almost $22,000 per crash and $110,000
per injury.(See Note 5
)
Costs to Our Children
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among children, taking the
lives of more than 2,100 child passengers ages 0 to15 and seriously injuring 327,000
more each year.(See Note 6
)
In 1996, almost 60 percent of the children ages 15 and under who died in motor vehicle
crashes were unrestrained.(See Note 7
)
Adults who don't buckle up often put children at risk as well since they frequently
don't ensure their child passengers are buckled up. Plus, because children mirror
adult behavior, these adults send children a deadly message that it is all right
not to wear a seat belt. Research shows that if a driver is unbuckled in a crash,
70 percent of the time children riding in that vehicle are unbuckled as well. Conversely,
when a driver is buckled, 94 percent of the time children riding in that vehicle
are buckled.(See Note 8
)
According to a survey by Public Opinion Strategies, Americans support standard seat
belt laws by nearly a two to one margin. Currently, only 17 states and the District
of Columbia have standard enforcement belt laws.(See Note 9
)
In addition, more states must work to close current gaps in child passenger
safety laws. These gaps leave children of certain ages unprotected while riding
in vehicles.
The personal and financial benefits to buckling up are concrete. If the nation reaches
its goals of 90 percent belt use and a 25 percent reduction in child fatalities
by the year 2005, we would prevent more than 5,500 deaths and 132,000 injuries annually
and save $8.8 billion annually.(See Note 10
) The bottom line is we will save lives and dollars if more people buckle up. It's
a goal worth achieving.
NOTES
For more information, contact the Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign, National
Safety Council, 1025 Conn. Ave., NW, Suite 1200, Washington, DC 20036; (202) 625-2570
(tel.); (202) 822-1399 (fax); E-mail: airbag@nsc.org
.
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