"I was driving when I saw the flash of a traffic camera. I figured that my picture had been taken for exceeding the limit even though I knew that I was not speeding. Just to be sure, I went around the block and passed the same spot, driving even more slowly, but again the camera flashed. Now I began to think that this was quite funny, so I drove even slower as I passed the area once more, but the traffic camera again flashed. I tried a fourth and fifth time with the same results and was now laughing as the camera flashed while I rolled past at a snail's pace. Two weeks later, I got five tickets in the mail for driving without a seat belt."
Moral of this story? 1. You can't fix stupid. 2. Wear your seatbelt!
Click It or Ticket, America's Seatbelt Campaign, is the most successful seat belt enforcement campaign ever, helping create the highest national seat belt usage rate of 83 percent, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
If you don't click it every time you get in the car and if you're not sure if your children have the right safety seats for their weight and age, maybe you should read further!
1. Has anyone ever told you its better off to be thrown from the vehicle? They're wrong. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than 15,000 lives are saved each year in the United States because drivers and their passengers were wearing seat belts when they were in accidents.
2. The National Safety Council recently reported a drop in traffic fatalities for 2008, indicating a record low since the 1920s when it began publishing statistical reports. One reason given for the decline is the increased use of seat belts.
3. According to car-accidents.com, 63% of people killed in car accidents are not wearing seat belts. 63%!!!
4. As many as 17,000 people could be saved every year by wearing a seatbelt. (James Madison University)
5. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, here’s how to select the right option for your child:
- Rear-facing child safety seat. Children under age 1 and those who weigh less than 20 pounds should sit in rear-facing, child safety seats approved by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The seats should be placed in the backseat of the car.
- Forward-facing child safety seat. Children older than 1 who weigh more than 20 pounds should ride in forward-facing child safety seats. The seat should be placed in the rear of the vehicle until the child reaches the upper weight or height limit of the particular seat. Typically, a child will outgrow a safety seat around age 4 and once she reaches about 40 pounds.
- Booster seat. Children age 4 and older who weigh more than 40 pounds should ride in booster seats. A child can safely progress to a seat belt when the belt fits properly across the upper thighs and chest.
- Seat belt. When children outgrow their booster seats, they can use seat belts, but they still should sit in the back of the vehicle.
