New York, NY–The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) www.nhtsa.gov launched its nationwide “Click It or Ticket” campaign on Monday, May 18, 2009. The national seat belt use initiative is set to run through May 31, 2009, to promote the use of motor vehicle safety belts by drivers and passengers. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) www.dot.gov released a study last week, which estimates 1,652 lives could be saved plus 22,372 serious injuries avoided every year, on America’s roadways and highways, if drivers’ and passengers’ seat belt use rose to 90 percent.
Automobile accident injury research experts assert seat belt use costs drivers and passengers nothing and is currently the most effective traffic safety device ever invented. The “Click It or Ticket” mobilization is expected to involve over 10,000 police agencies across the country and is funded through Congress and coordinated by NHTSA with an $8 million national advertising campaign.
According to the DOT, the national seat belt use rate, in 2008, was 83 percent. Even with these positive statistics, 1 in 5 Americans still fail to buckle up every time they enter a motor vehicle. Seat belt use rates are the lowest among teenagers, who are the most inexperienced drivers, and their passengers who are known to believe they are invincible. With 4,540 passenger vehicle occupants, between the ages of 16 to 20, 2,502 were not wearing safety belts in 2007. The study also revealed 65 percent of the deaths in 2007 that happened at night were unrestrained 16 to 20 year-olds.
Jonathan C. Reiter, a top New York personal injury lawyer, urges all New Yorkers to embrace the “Click It or Ticket” campaign. Parents and adults need to set an example for our youth. With the upcoming Memorial Day Weekend around the corner, New York area roadways and highways become a hot bed of automobile traffic with residents embracing the much loved weekend summer getaways to the New Jersey Shore, the Hamptons, and Fire Island. Memorial Day weekend car crashes resulting in serious injury and deaths are always a concern with area travelers and law enforcement. Unfortunately with summer fun comes summer injuries. Educate your teenage drivers and passengers about the importance of seat belt use.
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New York personal injury attorney Jonathan C. Reiter an automobile accident lawyer. Empire State Building, 350 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2811, New York, NY 10118. Telephone (212) 736-0979. www.jcreiterlaw.com
