You can’t predict the future. But you can drive smart and buckle up.
Sept. 21, 2020
Most drivers think of themselves as being good at driving.
But no driver can see the future, and that’s why everyone should wear a seat
belt. A seat belt helps protect you when you hit that patch of ice, or a
distracted driver drifts into your lane, or a deer jumps out in front of you.
The fact is that there are hundreds of scenarios that you can’t possibly
predict that would make you very glad you wore your seat belt.
Currently, more than 300 law enforcement agencies throughout
the state are conducting extra seat belt and child restraint enforcement. The
Click It or Ticket enforcement and awareness campaign will continue through
Sept. 30. Fortunately, we’re off to a good start: the 2019 Minnesota
Observational Seat Belt Survey showed that 93.4 percent of front-seat occupants
are wearing their seat belts. The campaign’s aim is to get that number up to 100
percent.
Because despite the 93.4 percent seat belt compliance,
unbuckled drivers and passengers remain a problem here in Minnesota. In 2019
alone, 73 unbelted motorists died in crashes, and from 2015-2019, only seven of
the 17 children ages 0-7 who died in crashes were known to be properly
restrained. On the other hand, of the 17,055 children ages 0-7 that were
properly restrained in crashes during that same period, 87 percent were not
injured while another 10 percent sustained only possible injuries.
What if your children are properly secured, but you’re not?
You may think it’s not a big deal, but during a crash, anything that isn’t
anchored to the inside of the car becomes a projectile. It doesn’t matter
whether it’s a pencil or a human being; if it’s flying around the cabin of the
vehicle, it could hurt someone badly. The other likely scenario is that you’re
ejected from the car altogether, which is usually deadly.
In Minnesota, all children must be in a child restraint
until they are 4’9” tall or age 8, whichever comes first. And it doesn’t have
to be a chore. When the family gets in the car, try having a contest for who
can buckle up the fastest. Or have one child be the lookout to make sure
everyone has buckled up. When that happens, the lookout can tell you it’s time
to start the car.
So reconcile yourself to the fact that you’re not a fortune
teller. You can’t see the future, but you can buckle up, secure your kids, and
drive smart. It will help protect you and your kids from the unknown while
you’re on the road.
