9 shocking stats that may scare you into wearing your seat belt

You’ve heard it since you were little, but thousands of people die every day because they don’t wear their seat belts.

One of the best way to save lives and prevent injuries is to wear a seat belt. Period! It doesn’t matter if your destination is around the corner or hundreds of miles away, getting in the habit of always wearing your seat belt can help combat auto-accident deaths.

Some may be convinced by stories, others statistics. Here are a few of the shocking numbers that tell the no-seat-belt story.

• Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among teens. (CDC)
• Men are 10 percent less likely to wear seat belts than women.
• Young adults (18-24) have the highest crash-related injury rates of all adults. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
• Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death among those aged 1-54 in the U.S. (CDC)
• 2,206 young adults (ages 13-20) not wearing a seat belt died in crashes in 2013, 52 percent of the total that died in motor vehicle crashes that year. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
• Nearly half of all injuries and deaths in motor vehicle accidents could be prevented by simply wearing a seat belt.
• In 2015, 6.1 percent of teen passengers reported rarely or never wearing a seat belt recently, nearly a 20 percent decrease since 1991. (CDC)
• Teens more frequently associate seat belt use with a “safe driver” rather than a “good driver.” (Barg FK, et al.)
• According to teendriversource.org, common responses for teens not wearing a seat belt include: the belts are uncomfortable, the trip was short, forgetfulness, lack of understanding a seat belt’s importance, not being “cool”.

Shocking? Help stop this deadly cycle by ALWAYS wear your seat belt and require anyone riding in your car to do the same.