CLICK IT OR TICKET -- WEAR YOUR SEAT BELT

"Regular seat belt use is the single best way to protect yourself and your family in motor vehicle crashes," said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland. "Wearing your seat belt costs you nothing. But the cost for not wearing one certainly will. Don't risk your life, or getting a ticket. Please remember to buckle up day and night – every trip, every time."

The "Click It or Ticket" campaign is set to run from May 24 through June 6, 2010. The mobilization, expected to involve more than 10,000 police agencies, is supported by $8 million in national advertising funded through Congress and coordinated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Thousands of people die each day as a result of vehicle accidents because they were not wearing seat belts. According to the laws of physics, if a vehicle is traveling at 30 miles per hour, its contents and passengers are also moving at 30 miles per hour. The vehicles sudden stop at 30 miles per hour can mean the difference of life or death to the passengers wearing seatbelts.

The top 5 things you should know about buckling up:


1. Buckling up is the single most effective thing you can do to protect yourself in a crash. In 2008, seat belts saved more than 13,000 lives nationwide. During a crash, being buckled up helps keep you safe and secure inside your vehicle, whereas being completely thrown out of a vehicle is almost always deadly. Seat belts are the best defense against impaired, aggressive, and distracted drivers.
2. Air bags are designed to work with seat belts, not replace them. In fact, if you don’t wear your seat belt, you could be thrown into rapidly opening frontal air bag; a movement of such force could injure or even kill you. See www.safercar.gov for more on air bag safety.
3. How to buckle up safely:
a. Place the shoulder belt across the middle of your chest and away from your neck.
b. Adjust the lap belt across your hlps below your stomach.
c. NEVER put the shoulder belt behind your back or under your arm.
4. Fit matters
a. Before you buy a new car, check to see that its seat belts are a good fit for you.
b. Ask your dealer about seat belt adjusters, which can help you get the best fit.
c. If you need a roomier belt, contact your vehicle manufacturer to obtain seat belt extenders.
d. If you drive an older or classic car with lap belts only, check with your vehicle manufacturer about how to retrofit your car with today’s safer lap/shoulder belts.
5. Occupant protection is for everyone.
a. Visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website at www.nhtsa.gov and click on 4 Steps for Kids to find out how to secure your littlest passengers.
b. If you’re expecting a little one check out NHTSA’s “Should pregnant women wear seat belts?” brochure online to learn how important it is for you – and your unborn child – to buckle up the right way every trip, every time.

This information was gathered from the www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov and www.nhtsa.gov websites. For more information about seat belts, child safety seats, air bags and adapting motor vehicles for drivers with special needs, call the DOT Auto Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 or visit www.nhtsa.gov