Fact or Fiction Top Six Reasons You Should Buckle Up
Fiction is a belief or statement that is false, but that is often held to be true because it is convenient to do so. With that in mind, there are some statements that surround seat belt safety that are fiction. You are more likely to encounter a lake, river or bridge in the wide-open spaces of Arkansas rural roadways out of the 16000 plus miles of roads of the state than many states in the U.S.*
- If you’re not going far or not traveling fast, seat belts are unnecessary Fact or Fiction?
Fiction. Seemingly routine trips can be deceptively dangerous. Most fatal crashes happen within 25 miles from home and at speeds of less than 40 mph.
- Your seat belt can hurt you in a crash. Fact or Fiction?
Fact. In a crash, everything in your car can cause bodily harm, but your seat belt is one of the few things that can save you as well.
- You’re much safer in a pickup truck. Lots of people own a pickup truck in America. So, wearing a seat belt is unnecessary. Fact or fiction?
Fiction. For occupants in SUVs, pickups, and vans, seat belts reduce the risk of fatal injury to the driver and front seat passenger by 60%. There seems to be a misconception among those who drive and ride in pickup trucks that their larger vehicles will protect them better than other vehicle types would in a crash. The numbers say otherwise: 58% of pickup truck occupants who were killed in 2019 were not buckled. That’s compared to 43% of passenger car occupants who were not wearing seat belts when they were killed. Regardless of vehicle type, seat belt use is the single most effective way to stay alive in a crash.
- It’s not as essential for guys to wear seat belts; they are the least at risk. Fact or Fiction?
Fiction. Men make up the majority of those killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes. In 2019, 65% of the 22,215 passenger vehicle occupants who were killed were men. Men also wear their seat belts at a lower rate than women do — 51% of men killed in crashes were unrestrained, compared to 40% of women killed in crashes.
- Your back-seat passengers in a crash can mortally harm you.
Fact. Unbuckled back-seat passengers can become projectiles endangering others in the car, especially the driver. Too many people wrongly believe they are safe in the back seat unrestrained. Forty-five percent of all front-seat passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes in 2019 were unrestrained, but 58% of those killed in back seats were unrestrained.
- Seat belts can trap you in a fire or under water. Fact or Fiction?
Fact. Yes it can but most likely not. Incidents involving fire or water account for ½ of 1% of all crashes. But more importantly, you can't escape such dangers unless you're conscious. Wearing a seat belt gives you a much greater chance of being conscious and able-bodied.
To read more about what AHSO is doing to make Arkansas roads safer in the area of Occupant Protection, click here. or visit Click It Or Ticket mobilization page.
Buckle Up Arkansas Every Trip Every Time!
