Safety belt use, reinforced by effective safety belt laws, is a proven life saver. All states except one have safety belt use laws, but only 14 states and the District of Columbia had standard enforcement of their belt laws as of early 1999. In states with standard enforcement, law officers may ticket a non-belt user when they see a violation of the safety belt law. With secondary enforcement, officers may issue a citation only after stopping the vehicle for another traffic infraction. Safety belt use is significantly higher in states with standard enforcement compared to those with secondary enforcement laws.
Research shows that when adults buckle up, children get buckled up too.
Standard enforcement is important not only for raising adult safety belt use, but also for increasing the number of children who are protected by occupant restraints. Average inpatient costs for traffic crash victims who did not use safety belts were 55 percent higher than for victims who were belted. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children from age 5 to 16 years. Six out of ten children who die in passenger vehicle crashes are unbelted. From 1975 through 1997, an estimated 3,894 children's lives were saved by safety belts and child safety seats.