Seat belts are the most effective traffic safety feature ever invented and have helped save thousands of lives. Unfortunately, one in five Americans fail to regularly wear a seat belt when driving or riding in a motor vehicle. The Click It or Ticket campaign focuses on safety education, strong laws, and law enforcement officers saving lives. The annual safety campaign is designed to urge all occupants to always buckle safety belts while riding in vehicles on America’s roadways. Thousands of Americans are alive today because a seat belt saved them during a crash. In 2015, the use of seat belts in passenger vehicles saved an estimated 13,941 lives of occupants ages 5 and older.

“We have made enormous progress as a nation in increasing seat belt use, but far too many people are still dying because they are not buckled up during crashes,” said National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Administrator Mark Rosekind. “Before you even turn the key, make sure that everyone in your car has their seat belt on, every trip, day and night.”

Last year in Ohio, seat belt use was recorded at 83.9%. This is down 1.1% from 2014, which was recorded at 85.0%. While these numbers are great, Safe Communities would like to remind everyone to wear seat belts, every time, in order to save lives.

For More Information:

• William Bowers, Ohio State Highway Patrol: 419-352-2481
• Sandy Wiechman, Safe Communities Coordinator: 419-372-9353 or swiechm@bgsu.edu

Daylight Saving Time has passed, bringing with it an earlier start to darkness. According to Time, “the loss of an hour of afternoon sunlight when it (DST) ends may increase the likelihood of traffic accidents.” Better light equals better safety, therefore the need for increased attentiveness while driving increases as Daylight Saving Time ends. According to CBC News, “People walking during rush hour in the first few weeks after the clocks fall back in the autumn were more than three times as likely to be fatally struck by cars than before the change.”  

There have been a reported 10 fatal crashes to date in Wood County this year, down from 24 at this time in 2015. This decrease in fatal accidents could be attributed to the  95% of people who reported regularly wearing their seatbelts this year, post Click It or Ticket survey. According to the AAA Foundation, “seat belts are the single most effective means of reducing the risk of death in a crash and have saved nearly 300,000 lives since 1975 in the U.S. alone.”

Another contribution to the decrease of fatal accidents this year could be the promotion of drunk driving advocacy and the decrease in alcohol related fatal crashes. 2015 saw a 9.2% decrease in fatal crashes that were alcohol related in Wood County in two years. Remember, buzzed driving is drunk driving.

For More Information:
* Lt. William Bowers, Ohio State Highway Patrol: 419-352-2481
* Sandy Wiechman, Safe Communities Coordinator:
419-372-9353 or swiechm@bgsu.edu