Buckle Up: A Few Seconds Could Save a Life

Summer is a time for vacations and trips to the beach, which means more time spent traveling in our vehicles. To make those trips safer, the South Carolina Department of Public Safety is kicking off its Buckle Up, South Carolina safety belt campaign. The goals of this campaign are:

• To increase safety belt usage
• To see a decrease in traffic fatalities and serious injuries
• To promote a greater awareness about the role safety belts play in keeping motorists safe on the road

Many of the traffic fatalities that take place on the roads can be prevented if drivers and passengers wear their seat belts. According to the SCDPS, 59% of traffic fatalities at night were unrestrained and 40% of traffic fatalities during the day were unrestrained. As a result, officers will start paying special attention to nighttime enforcement checks because statistics show that the rate of safety belt usage drops between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.

In the last 4 years, South Carolina safety belt compliance has been at or above 90 percent. While this is an impressive statistic, it doesn’t change the fact that nearly 60 percent of individuals who had access to a seat belt were still killed in car accidents that occurred at night. This points out two different facts: (1) at night, individuals are less likely to wear a seat belt and (2) not wearing a seat belt and getting in a car crash is more likely to result in a fatality.

Hundreds of lives could be saved each year if people took a few seconds to put their seat belt on. This is the whole purpose of the Buckle Up, South Carolina campaign. Law enforcement agencies want to enforce the safety belt laws that are in place to save lives. During this time of year, especially around Memorial Day, people are traveling and traffic is increasing, which inevitably means an increasing amount of accidents. These accidents don’t have to be fatal though; simply putting on your seat belt could save your life.

Keep this summer safe by wearing your seat belt when traveling and encourage others to wear theirs as well. Summer holidays don’t have to be dangerous, so buckle up, South Carolina.

Contact the Steinberg Law Firm if you or someone you know has been injured in a car accident. With offices in Charleston, Goose Creek and Summerville, our auto accident attorneys are conveniently located in order to better serve you. We can be reached online at any time or you can contact us by phone at 843-720-2800.