Letter to the Editor

Buckle up this Memorial Day
Letter to the editor:
 
     For many, buckling up in a vehicle is second nature.
     However, 9,385 people nationwide lost their lives in 2014 as a result of not buckling their seat belt. In Iowa, 118 of the 322 crash fatalities were not buckled up. It is important to note that nationally 61-percent of pickup truck fatalities were not buckled.
     Iowa’s seat belt compliance rate is at 93 percent, one of the best in the nation but, still, too many of the state’s traffic fatalities are unbelted. Those are lives that could have been saved. The consequences of not buckling up are too high, don’t become a negative seat belt statistic, always buckle up!
     National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) statistics show that passenger vehicle occupants are buckling up more during the day but not enough at night. The May 23-June 6 Click It or Ticket mobilization focuses on seat belt violators 24/7, but a strong enforcement effort will be made between the nighttime hours of 6 p.m.-6 a.m., due to the significant number of violators and fatal crashes during that time.
     Wearing a seat belt is one of the most important steps in increasing survivability in a crash. As you travel near or far this Memorial Day, remember to buckle up in the back seat as well as in the front. Rear seat passengers are three times more likely to die in a crash if they are unbuckled. In real life we don’t get a second chance.
     Be safe, be buckled!
 
Alex Murphy
Iowa Department of Public Safety