We all pay in higher taxes, higher health care and higher insurance costs. On average, inpatient hospital care costs for unbuckled crash victims are 50 percent higher than for those who are belted, and society bears 85 percent of those costs, not the individuals involved. Some will argue that it is a matter of personal freedom to drive unbuckled. But the fact is that personal freedoms stop when other people are injured or killed. This is especially true when it comes to children's safety.
Crashes are devastating to unbuckled children.
Yet adults who do not buckle up are sending children a deadly message that it is all right not to use seat belts. Buckling up is still the most effective and immediate way to save lives and reduce injuries from crashes on our roadways. Unlike so many of the complex problems facing us today, we have the solution. Because we are all personally affected when even one person does not buckle up, we all must be a part of the solution. You can help solve the problem by making sure everyone is always buckled up in your vehicle every trip.