Buckle Up America

Take a Second to Save a Life

How often do you devote time to community service? Too busy, you say? What if all it took to save lives, protect

children, reduce hospital care costs and decrease auto insurance premiums…was a single second? That's all it takes for you to fasten your seat belt when you get behind the wheel.

Every time you "forget" or neglect to use your seat belts, you are twice as likely to be severely injured or killed in a crash. If you're unbuckled, chances are--70% of the time--that the children in your car are unbuckled, too. Studies show that an unrestrained child in a 30-mile-an-hour crash sustains an impact equal to that of a child dropped from a third-story window.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association, inpatient hospital care costs are 50% higher for crash victims who weren't using seat belts. Taxpayers-not the individuals involved--bear 85% of those costs, not to

mention the costs for higher insurance rates.

Not convinced yet? Then how about the penalty you'll pay when you're stopped by the police for neglecting seat belts? As part of Buckle Up America, a May 21-27 campaign to raise awareness of seat belt benefits, area law

enforcement officers have committed to prosecuting offenders to the full extent of the law. Your driving record and insurance premiums will take a long time to recover.

There are many ways to show your support of Buckle Up America, a partnership of community and health groups, safety advocates, businesses, law enforcement, legislators, public officials and citizens who share a concern for driver and child safety:

> Contact your local law enforcement agency or community service group to discuss how you might get involved.

> Discuss with your employer--or launch, at your own business--a mandatory seat belt policy for employees.

> Coordinate an effort among local businesses to advocate stronger seat belt laws and enforcement in your

community.

> Encourage education leaders to develop programs that teach kids about buckling up.

If this sounds like more than you have time for, remember: the simplest thing you can do to help prevent more than 5,500 deaths and 132,000 injuries, and save $8.8 billion a year, takes just a single second. Buckle up.

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