Buckle up during the holiday season

Buckle Up Montana Coalition

With the holidays upon us and many Montanans hitting the roads, Buckle Up Montana wants everyone to arrive safely at their destinations. The coalition wants drivers and passengers alike to remember to buckle up every trip, every time.

Many people over-indulge in holiday goodies and loosen their belts a little after dinner, but they should remember there’s nothing that should keep them from tightening their seat belt when they get in a motor vehicle. The potential consequences are just too great turning the happiest of holidays into a nightmare.

Seat belt usage in Havre by the last coalition seat belt count is 49 percent. Unfortunately, that is far lower than the national average. By not buckling up, people can be ejected from their vehicle.

The National Traffic Safety Administration statistics show that those least likely to buckle up are teens, young adults, males, nighttime riders, motorists on rural roads and individuals traveling in pickup trucks

That encompasses a large share of the population in Hill County. When seat belts are used properly, the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants is reduced by 45 percent and the risk of moderate to serious injury is reduced by 50 percent.

Buckle up Montana wants to get the message out that seat belts save lives.

Twenty-five fewer people have died in fatal crashes this year than at the same time last year.