Kids Aren’t Buckling

For years, kids have heard the message “buckle up.” But how many of them are listening? A new study shows the number of children ages eight to 15 who die in car crashes is going up, and the majority of those killed are not wearing seatbelts. Why?

Bob Wilson, director of the Atlanta Chapter of the National Safety Council says part of the responsibility lies with the parents, themselves. “P arents recognize a child younger than eight as being helpless, and so they go that extra effort and get them buckled up properly in a child safety seat or booster seat. But for some reason, once they hit that eight or above, parents kind of treat them like they’re on their own, or they’re responsible enough to look after themselves.”

And there’s another reason why more kids ages eight to 15 are dying in car crashes. More and more, teens are driving other teens, or younger children, as passengers in the car. Not only are those teen drivers inexperienced, according to Bob Wilson, “they’re also less likely to buckle up. And so if the teen driver is not buckled up, chance are they’re not requiring their younger brothers or sisters to buckle up.”

Fifteen-year-old Felicia Edlin is just months away from getting her license. With a younger brother and sister, she realizes what’s in store.

“I’ll probably have to drive them to their activities, and stuff like that,” she says.

“And it’s scary,” says her father, Andy. “I’m just now trying to get used to the idea of her actually driving herself, and trying to get over that milestone with her. I have yet to really start to think about what it’s going be like when she has other people in the car.”

One thing he says won’t happen will be Felicia driving herself, or anybody else, without seatbelts.

“I really think she understands that seatbelts are just something you have to do in the car,” he says. “It’s just routine, just like putting on your pants.”

Bob Wilson says that’s the right attitude for parents to take. In fact, studies show that a parents’ influence on kids’ seatbelt use is huge. When adults buckle up, 94 percent of children follow suit. That number goes down to 25 percent in vehicles where parents don’t use seat belts.

“Set the good example yourself,” he says. “So as a parent, you need to buckle up. And then number two is just realize that any passenger at any age is vulnerable in a vehicle, and needs to be belted.”

By Larry Eldridge, Jr.
CWK Network, Inc.

Unfortunately, one of the first things people should do when riding in an automobile is often ignored – fastening their seatbelts. It is hard to think of such a simple act as being a life-saving event, but it very well could be. Consider the following statistics:

• Three of five people killed in vehicle accidents would have survived their injuries had they been wearing their seat belts.
• Seat belts save an estimated 9,500 lives in the United States each year.
• Every 13 minutes, someone is killed in a traffic accident.

By Larry Eldridge, Jr.
CWK Network, Inc.

If it is true that everything travels in cycles, then it’s time for reminders about the importance of wearing seatbelts while traveling. Seatbelts, once a hot topic for discussion, aren’t being used as often as they should, according to recent data. Studies have shown that deaths among children who weren’t wearing their seatbelts are on the rise. Experts have developed a list of safety tips for seatbelt use.

• Always wear a safety belt while driving or riding in a car or truck.
• Never use a safety belt to restrain more than one person.
• Children 12 and under should always be properly restrained in the rear seats.
• Infants under one-year-old and weighing less than 20 pounds should be carried in rear-facing child safety seats in the rear seat.
• Never place rear-facing safety seats in the front passenger seat if the vehicle is equipped with an activated passenger’s airbag.
• Children up to four years of age and weighing between 20 and 40 pounds should be properly restrained in child safety seats.
• Never allow children (or any occupant) to slide the shoulder belt behind them.
• Seats should be moved as far back as practical from airbags.

Safety Belt Safe U.S.A.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Child Find