Preventing Chicago Car Accident Injuries and Deaths: Illinois State Police Tell Drivers and Vehicle Occupants to Either Buckle Up and “Click It or Ticket”
Throughout Illinois, police officers are telling motor vehicle riders to “Click It or Ticket.” Their efforts are part of a nationwide campaign, running from May 18 to 31, to remind people that they need to wear seat belts—or else face getting slapped with a ticket for the violation.
According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, seat belt use throughout the state was at 90.5% in 2008—up from 88% in 2006—with Illinois motor vehicle deaths dropping by 211 for this same time period. These figures are positive progress, considering that the US Department of Transportation has released new information revealing that 22,372 serious traffic injuries and 1,652 traffic deaths could be avoided annually if each US state logged in a seat belt use rate of 90%. Currently, the national seat belt use rate is 83%. This means that 1 out of every 5 vehicle occupants in the US is still not buckling up 100% of the time.
2007 data reveals that 15,147 lives were saved that year because people were using seat belts. Safety belts, however, can only be effective if they are working properly and free from defects. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case, and car makers and seat belt manufacturers have had to recall motor vehicles because a seat belt defect was discovered—in many cases, after someone got hurt or died in an auto accident. Car accident victims and families have filed products liability lawsuits against seat belt makers and auto manufacturers for personal injury and wrongful death because a seat belt became unlatched or malfunctioned in another way during a catastrophic auto crash.
Also, as essential as it is that a person wear a properly working safety belt to decrease the chances of injury or death, there are still many motor vehicle crashes that occur in Chicago, the rest of Illinois, and throughout the US that claim the lives of seat belt users because a motorist or another party was negligent.
Research Kicks Off 'Click It or Ticket' Nationwide Enforcement Campaign Set To Run May 18-31, NHTSA, May 14, 2009
Illinois State Police launch 'Click it or Ticket' initiative, WREX, May 14, 2009
Related Web Resources:
The Increase in Lives Saved, Injuries Prevented, and Cost Savings if Seat Belt Use Rose to at Least 90 Percent in All States, NHTSA (PDF)
Safety Restraints, Illinois State Police
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