According to a new survey by the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, seat belt use in the U.S. has not met the 92 percent target set by the federal government in 2010. The survey notes that the majority of Wisconsin is not meeting the 92 percent target, with most counties in the 60 – 80 percent range. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WDOT) reports that safety belt use is near 88 percent, which is below the national 89 percent average and below the 90 percent average of our neighboring states.
In Wisconsin, we have a “primary enforcement seat belt law.” This means that police officers are allowed to stop and ticket a driver for not wearing a seat belt. Primary enforcement, according to WDOT and the survey, does lead to higher seat belt usage. And yet — our state has not yet made the 92 percent target.
According to WDOT, wearing seat belts “is the single most effective way to protect against being ejected from a vehicle or being thrown around violently inside it during a crash.” Besides the personal risk associated with not wearing a seat belt, those who do not wear seat belts also contribute to economic losses that affect all of us. WDOT reports that in 2013, traffic fatalities and injuries cost more than $2.7 billion. WDOT notes that:
- Society pays for nearly 75 percent of economic losses incurred by injuries/death caused by passengers not wearing their seat belts, including medical expenses and losses related to negative impacts on worker productivity.
- These costs are incurred via higher insurance premiums, taxes and other public funding.
