Safety Belts

Wearing a safety belt is the easiest and most effective way to prevent traffic deaths and injuries on and off-the-job.  Drivers and passengers who buckle up have a 50% better chance of surviving serious traffic collisions and avoiding serious injury. Safety belts save lives. In 2008, they saved more than13,000 lives nationwide.

• Forty-two percent of passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2007 were not wearing a safety belt.   
• A 2007 NHTSA study estimates that more than 1,600 lives could be saved and 22,000 injuries prevented if safety belt use was 90% in every state.

The good news is safety belt use is up from 69% in 1998 to 83% in 2008. But we can still do better.

Safety Belt Laws

Forty-nine states and the District of Columbia have mandatory safety belt laws.
What are your state's safety belt laws?

• 26 states and the District of Columbia allow primary safety belt laws - police can stop vehicles and ticket for failure to buckle up
• 23 states specify secondary enforcement - police can issue a ticket only after the vehicle is stopped for another reason

Safety belt use is 10% higher in states with primary enforcement (86%) than in states with secondary enforcement (76%).

Promoting Employee Safety Belt Use

Safety belts are the best defense against impaired, aggresive and distracted drivers. Employers can help save lives by promoting the use of safety belts on and off-the-job. 

1. Explain the advantages of buckling up
2. Enact and enforce a company-wide safety belt policy
3. Support your state's annual safety belt enforcement campaign

Discover strategies for Use of Safety Belts. 

Sample Workplace Safety Belt Policies