Seat belt safety important for every ride

As the National Click It or Ticket campaign comes to a close, the Ponca City Police Department would like to remind everyone seat belt safety is important every time you ride in a vehicle.

“Please buckle up and be safe,” Police Chief Don Bohon said.

Below are some statistics and information from the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration (NHTSA).

One of the safest choices drivers and passengers can make is to buckle up. Many Americans understand the lifesaving value of the seat belt – the national use rate was at 89.6 percent in 2018. Seat belt use in passenger vehicles saved an estimated 14,955 lives in 2017.

Understand the potentially fatal consequences of not wearing a seat belt and learn what you can do to make sure you and your family are properly buckled up every time.

Of the 37,133 people killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2017, 47 percent were not wearing seat belts. In 2017 alone, seat belts saved an estimated 14,955 lives and could have saved an additional 2,549 people if they had been wearing seat belts.

For more information, please visit: https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/seat-belts