By MICHAEL CRIMMINS
Glasgow News 1
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is reminding all 4.6 million Kentuckians to buckle up and properly secure children in car seats when using a motor vehicle.
The annual “click It or Ticket” campaign runs until June 1, which includes Memorial Day weekend.
“It only takes two seconds to fasten your seatbelt – and those two seconds could save your life,” said Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear. “We want everyone to buckle up, every trip. Let’s look out for one another and make sure we all get to where we’re going and come back home, safely.”
Of the 707 roadway deaths last year, 471 were killed in motor vehicle crashes. Forty-seven percent of them — or 220 deaths — were either not wearing a seatbelt or were not properly restrained in a car seat or booster seat, according to the cabinet’s Office of Highway Safety. Nine of the 471 deaths were children ages 9 and younger.
“Wearing a seat belt is the simplest, most effective way to protect yourself and the people you care about,” said cabinet secretary Jim Gray. “Every decision behind the wheel matters. Our goal is to prevent tragedy before it happens – and sometimes that means taking enforcement action to protect lives.”
Despite typically low traffic volumes at night, fatal crashes nationwide are three times higher during nighttime hours compared to daytime with at least 185 of the 471 fatalities occurring at night, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
“When worn correctly, seat belts reduce the risk of death by 45% for front-seat vehicle occupants and by 60% for pickup truck, SUV and minivan occupants,” the Administration stated.
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Properly fastened seatbelts contact the body’s strongest parts, such as the chest, hips and shoulders. A seat belt spreads the force of a crash over a wide area of the body, putting less stress on any one part, and allows the body to slow down with the crash, extending the time when the occupant feels the crash forces.
