Seat Belt Talking Points
Key Messages
1) Lack of seat belt use is a contributing factor in about 40 percent of all Minnesota fatalities.
· In 2015, 91 unbelted motorists lost their lives on Minnesota roads.
· In a five year period (2011 – 2015), 38 percent of the 1,379 people killed while riding in motor vehicles were not wearing seat belts.
· In 2015, 77 percent of vehicle occupants who were ejected or partially ejected and died were not wearing a seat belt.
· In 2015, 87 percent of the unbelted deaths occurred in Greater Minnesota (Greater Minnesota is outside the 7-county Metro), with the northwest and southwest regions of the state showing the lowest usage rates among those killed or injured.
2) Join the crowd and save your life — seat belt use remains high statewide but more can be buckling up.
· The 2016 Minnesota Seat Belt Survey shows 93 percent compliance for all occupants.
o Males are less likely to buckle up, 90 percent, compared with a 96.5 percent compliance for females.
· Severe injuries are going down — in 1987, there were 4,176 vehicle occupants who suffered severe injuries in traffic crashes. That number dropped to 745 in 2015.
· In Minnesota in 2015, seat belts saved an estimated 227 people ages 5 and older. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
· Nationwide in 2015, an estimated 266 child occupants ages 4 and younger were saved by the use of child restraints. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
· Wearing your seat belt will help keep you from:
o Crashing into the windshield.
o Slamming into and injuring other passengers.
o Being ejected from the vehicle.
3) The law requires all drivers and all passengers to be buckled up.
· Law enforcement can stop and ticket unbelted drivers and passengers.
· Wear your belt correctly: Belts should be tight and across the hips or thighs. Belts should never be tucked under the arm or behind the back.
· Minnesota’s law requires children to be in a child restraint until they are 4’ 9” tall, or at least age 8, whichever comes first.
Background Information
General Campaign Information
· More than 300 law enforcement agencies will participate in the Oct. 14 – 30 Click It or Ticket campaign.
· Even if you think you are a good driver, seat belts protect you from unsafe drivers and road hazards.
· Pickup truck occupants are less likely to wear seat belts. After a record-high 89.6 percent compliance according to the 2015 Minnesota Seat Belt Survey, that number dipped to 83.6 percent in the 2016 survey.
· Speak up — if you’re driving, make sure all of your passengers are buckled up before you put the car into “drive.” You could be saving your own life as well as those of your passengers.
· Belt use is much lower at night — in 2015, only 53 percent of motorist deaths during 9 p.m. – 3 a.m. were known to be belted.
· In 2015, only 38 percent of the drunk drivers killed were known to be belted.
· In a crash, odds are six-times greater for injury if a motorist is not buckled up. An unbelted motorist can crash into a windshield and slam into and injure other passengers. Often times, an unbelted motorist is ejected from the vehicle and killed.
Seat Belt Use among Males Continues Positive Trend
· For the sixth year in a row, seat belt use among male front seat occupants was at or above 90 percent, according to the 2016 Minnesota seat belt survey.
o 90.4 percent in 2011
o 91.9 percent in 2012
o 92.6 percent in 2013
o 92.8 percent in 2014
o 91.8 percent in 2015
o 90.0 percent in 2016
Child Passenger Safety Use Facts
· Minnesota children are dying and getting injured because they’re not properly secured in the vehicle. In the past five years, 10 children who were not properly restrained died in crashes on Minnesota roads. Minnesota crash statistics from 2011 – 2015 revealed:
o 18 children (ages 0-7) were killed in motor vehicles and only eight of the victims were known to be properly secured.
o Of the 69 children (ages 0-7) seriously injured in motor vehicles, only 41 percent of the victims were known to be properly secured.
o Of the 16,904 children ages 0-7 that were properly restrained, 86 percent were not injured, while another 12 percent sustained only minor injuries.
Minnesota Child Seat Law and Steps
· In Minnesota, all children must be in a child restraint until they are 4' 9" tall, or at least age 8, whichever comes first.
· Rear-facing child seats - Newborns to at least 1 year and 20 pounds; recommended up to age 2. It is safest to keep a child rear-facing as long as possible.
· Forward-facing seats - Age 2 until around age 4. It's preferable to keep children in a harnessed restraint until they reach the maximum weight limit of the seat.
· Booster seats - Use after outgrowing a forward-facing harnessed restraint; it is the law to remain in a booster until 4’ 9” tall, or at least age 8, whichever comes first.
o It is recommended that children stay in booster seats until the seat belt properly fits them. That means the belt lap is low on the hips and the shoulder belt is between their neck and shoulders.
· Seat belts - Use when children have outgrown a booster and the seat belt properly fits them.
o They can sit with their back against the vehicle seat and have their knees bent comfortably over the edge with their feet touching the floor.
o The shoulder belt rests on their shoulder (not on their face or upper arm).
o The lap portion of the belt is low on their hips.
o They can ride comfortably in this position for the entire trip.
4