Driving Issue - Safety Belts

The simple act of wearing a safety belt may very well be the easiest, least expensive and most effective way to prevent traffic deaths and injuries on and off the job. Drivers and passengers who buckle up have a 50 percent better chance of surviving serious traffic collisions and avoiding serious injuries.

Although safety belt use has steadily increased in Texas and nationwide, motor vehicle crashes are still the leading cause of accidental off-the-job death in the U.S. and the number one cause of death at work. Businesses incur enormous economic costs each year from these traffic crashes through lost productivity, workers compensation, medical costs and higher health insurance premiums.

Pickup truck drivers, rural drivers, commercial truck drivers and teens are less likely to buckle up.

Find out the impact of not buckling up. (PDF download)

For every 1 percent increase in safety belt use, 586 Texans will escape serious injury in crashes.

And 25 fewer Texans will be killed.

NHTSA