Traffic crashes are a leading cause of death in the United States.
Wearing seat belts is the easiest and most effective way of cutting the highway death toll-and strong occupant protection laws are the most effective way of increasing safety belt use. Highway deaths could be cut dramatically if states upgraded their laws to improve coverage and enforcement. A citation can be written whenever a law officer observes an unbelted driver or passenger. A citation can only be written after an officer stops the vehicle for some other infraction. Use Nationwide recommends states enact strong legislation by adopting primary seat belt laws and closing the gaps in child passenger safety laws.