SEATBELTS CAN SAVE LIVES,

INJURIES & MONEY IN OKLAHOMA

In 1995 alone, 674 Oklahomans died and 51,461 were injured in auto crashes. 155 of those killed were children or teenagers. Most of these deaths and thousands of these injuries could have been prevented if seat belts had been used. We all share the needless costs of these tragedies.

You Can Make the Difference!

Unbelted Oklahoman's in auto crashes are:

1. Twice as likely to be hospitalized
2. Injured 2 – 4 times as severely
3. Need much longer stays in the hospital
4. Incur 2 – 7 times as great of medical costs

Drivers who buckle up cut in half their risk of injury and are two-thirds less likely to incur a head injury.

!!!$1.7 BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR!!!*

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration-(NHTSA) estimates that auto crashes cost the citizens of Oklahoma approximately $1,700,000,000* each year in medical and legal costs, lost wages and lost productivity. NHTSA also reports that 66% of our unbuckled motorist injured in auto crashes are uninsured or on government programs like Medicaid or Worker's Compensation. We all share these costs of unnecessary deaths and injuries through our insurance premiums and taxes.

* Based on figures provided by The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, DC

How You Can Help Make A Difference

1. Encourage standard enforcement of seat belt laws.
2. Buckle up every time you get in the car.
3. Make sure younger children are properly secured in car seats. All children are safer in the back seat.
4. Urge your family and friends to wear seat belts whenever they travel in the car, even for short trips around town.
5. Remember, air bags work best when used in conjunction with seat belts.
6. Spread the word!

SEAT BELT FABLES

	You can't believe every story flying around these days.  The truth is that all driving can be dangerous.  More than 80% of all accidents occur at speeds less than 40 mph.  Fatalities involving non-belted occupants of cars have been recorded at as low as 12 mph.  That's about the speed you'd be driving on a parking lot.  Three out of four accidents causing death occur within 25 miles of home.  Belt up before driving to your shopping center -- just as you would for a long trip.
	Don't be left with egg on your face -- or worse.  It's true that a lap belt will protect you from serious injury.  But a shoulder belt provides important additional protection.  During a crash, a shoulder belt keeps your head and chest from striking the steering wheel, dashboard and windshield.  A lap and shoulder belt offers the best possible protection in the event of a crash.
	Rubbish!  The fact is that your chances of being killed are almost 25 times greater if you're thrown from the car.  The forces in a collision can be great enough to fling you as much as 150 feet -- about 15 car lengths.  Safety belts can keep you from: plunging through the windshield being thrown out the door and hurtled through the air scraping along the ground being crushed by your own car. In almost any collision, you're better off being held inside the car by safety belts.
	Fiddlesticks!  Less than 1/2 of 1% of all injury producing collisions involve fire or submersion.  But if fire or submersion does occur, wearing a safety belt can save your life.  If you're involved in a crash without your safety belt, you might be stunned or knocked unconscious by striking the interior of the car.  Then your chances of getting out of a burning or submerged car would be far less.  You're better off wearing a safety belt at all times in a car.  With safety belts, you're more likely to be unhurt, alert and capable of escaping quickly.
	Now there's a fairy tale that's an earful.  In reality, fastening your safety belt may take some time and trouble -- but not too much.  That much time and trouble you can live with -- if you want to live.
	Belts are designed to allow you to reach necessary driving controls, and the newer shoulder belt retractors give you even more freedom.  When reaching for things that will take you away from the steering wheel, it's safer to pull off the road or ask your passenger to help.     This series of seat belt tips was copied from a brochure published by the U.S. Department of Transportation and distributed by the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office.

• "ALWAYS BUCKLE CHILDREN in the Backseat."
• Buckle up every child in the vehicle properly - and set the example by buckling yourself up as well.
• Whenever possible, put children in the backseat of the vehicle.
• Always secure rear-facing infant seats in the backseat.
• Facts:
  • Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children 5 to 15 years of age. A study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration concluded children are safer riding in the backseat.
  • Airbags are lifesaving devices, but special precautions must be taken when driving children in airbag-equipped vehicles. Children risk injury if they are unbelted, improperly belted or otherwise too close to the dashboard when an airbag inflates. To play it safe, always buckle children in the backseat.
  • If a child must ride in the front seat, or the vehicle does not have a backseat, move the seat as far back as possible from the dashboard and make sure the child is buckled properly.
  • Never place rear-facing infant safety seats in the front seat of a vehicle with a front passenger-side airbag. The back of the safety seat in this position is too close to the inflating airbag and the infant could be killed or seriously injured.

  
  KEEP OUR KIDS SAFE - PRACTICE YOUR ABCs!

Back to the Duncan Police Department Main Page