Seat Belt Safety
 Safety belts are the most effective means of saving lives and reducing
serious injuries in traffic crashes.
They're also the law.
In Colorado, motor vehicle occupants are subject to a fine
for not wearing their seat belts.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that seat belts save
9,500 lives in the United States each year. It is also estimated
that an additional 9,000 lives would be saved and 160,000 nonfatal
injuries would be prevented each year if all motor vehicle occupants ages
5 years and older properly used restraint devices (seat belts, booster
seats) all of the time.
Safety belts, air
bags and proper child
safety seats, when used consistently and correctly, can significantly
reduce the rate of injury in a crash. A crash study conducted by the
University of California, Irvine found: "Driver restraint use
was the strongest predictor of child restraint use." Almost 40% of children who ride
with unbelted drivers are themselves unrestrained.
Colorado Statistics
- Current usage for seat belts in Colorado is around 78%.
- In Colorado, when a driver wears his/her seat belt:
- restraint use for children 3
years and under is 93%.
- restraint use for children 4-15
years is 72%.
- In Colorado, when a driver does not wear his/her seat
belt:
- restraint use for children 3
years and under is 56%.
- restraint use for children 4-15
years is 11%.
- In 2002, 578 drivers and passengers were killed in Colorado. 380 of them were not wearing
seat belts.
Life-saving advice
Fasten Your Lap Belt...
- Make sure the belt is worn snugly over the lower part of your pelvis. If
the belt is allowed to ride up across your stomach, it will be pushed
against your intestines, liver or other internal organs in a crash.
Injury to these vital organs can be fatal.
- Sit up straight. Slouching causes the lap belt to ride up. A belt that is
worn too loosely could allow you to slide under it in a crash.
- Check your lap belt several times during a trip, even a short one. Make sure
it stays low and snug. In some lap/shoulder belt systems, a tug on the
shoulder belt will tighten your lap belt.
- Consider clothing. A heavy coat can make it difficult to wear your belt
correctly. For very bulky coats, it's best to take them off. To get
the best possible fit when you wear your coat buckle up and then tuck
any excess bulk towards your side. This will alow the lap belt to make
proper close contact over the pelvic bones. A short jacket can easily
be pulled out from under the belt.
- Always buckle up, even if pregnant. Make sure the belt stays snug and well
below your abdomen.
Adjust Your Shoulder Belt...
- Position your shoulder belt over the top part of your shoulder and across your
chest. That distributes crash forces over a large area of your rib
cage and protects your soft organs underneath.
- Make sure the shoulder belt lies comfortably snug against your body. Some
shoulder belts work like window shades. Each time you lean forward,
even a little, and then back the shoulder belt loosens and stays that
way unless it's tugged on. There should never be more than one inch of
slack between you and your shoulder belt. Get into the habit of
checking your belt often.
- Don't tuck your shoulder belt underneath your arm. In a crash, this puts
pressure on your ribs, which are thin and easily broken. Broken ribs
may be pushed inward potentially causing serious damage to your
internal organs.
- Secure your children safely. Children who have outgrown their regular car
seats still may not be tall enough to safely wear a shoulder belt. It
may cross their neck or face. A correct fit can be achieved by raising
the child up on a special car booster seat. Select a booster seat that
will keep the lap belt low across the child's thighs or hips.
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