Seat Belt Research Paper
Background
It is well known that motor vehicle accidents continue to be a leading cause of death in the United States year-after-year1. Unrestrained drivers and passengers have consistently worse outcomes, with increased mortality, hospital length of stay, and increased cost of hospitalization2. This cost becomes a burden not only for the victims and their families, but also for the hospitals or state in which the accident took place—as research suggests more passengers that ride unrestrained are also uninsured3. It has been estimated that since 1975, over 250,000 lives have been saved by seat belt use, but this number could be much higher if compliance with seat belt use were higher1,4. In 2007, compliance with seat belt use varied widely …show more content…
Each Memorial Day weekend holiday period, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) sponsors a nationwide “enforcement blitz” to crack down on individuals not abiding by state and local seat belt laws6. The program, “Click It or Ticket,” has been deemed the most successful seat belt campaign ever, and has been proven to improve seat belt compliance rates. While this and other campaigns are beneficial to reduce seat belt noncompliance, and subsequently mortality and health care costs associated with motor vehicle accidents, acknowledgment of the matter from the Federal Government in the form of nationwide legislation would stress to the American population the utter importance of this issue and would empower state and local governments to make a …show more content…
Action must be taken to reconcile the nationwide issue of seatbelt noncompliance. With legislation regarding seat belt use in the hands of state and local governments, the American People observe low seat belt compliance rates, and ever-rising mortality rates and high health care costs related to motor vehicle accidents, year after year. It is apparent that the status quo state and local government-written legislation regarding seat belt requirement is not meeting the needs of the American citizens. It is time for the Federal Government to take initiative to create a nationwide seat belt law in order to reduce motor vehicle accident-associated mortality and related costs of
It is well known that motor vehicle accidents continue to be a leading cause of death in the United States year-after-year1. Unrestrained drivers and passengers have consistently worse outcomes, with increased mortality, hospital length of stay, and increased cost of hospitalization2. This cost becomes a burden not only for the victims and their families, but also for the hospitals or state in which the accident took place—as research suggests more passengers that ride unrestrained are also uninsured3. It has been estimated that since 1975, over 250,000 lives have been saved by seat belt use, but this number could be much higher if compliance with seat belt use were higher1,4. In 2007, compliance with seat belt use varied widely …show more content…
Each Memorial Day weekend holiday period, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) sponsors a nationwide “enforcement blitz” to crack down on individuals not abiding by state and local seat belt laws6. The program, “Click It or Ticket,” has been deemed the most successful seat belt campaign ever, and has been proven to improve seat belt compliance rates. While this and other campaigns are beneficial to reduce seat belt noncompliance, and subsequently mortality and health care costs associated with motor vehicle accidents, acknowledgment of the matter from the Federal Government in the form of nationwide legislation would stress to the American population the utter importance of this issue and would empower state and local governments to make a …show more content…
Action must be taken to reconcile the nationwide issue of seatbelt noncompliance. With legislation regarding seat belt use in the hands of state and local governments, the American People observe low seat belt compliance rates, and ever-rising mortality rates and high health care costs related to motor vehicle accidents, year after year. It is apparent that the status quo state and local government-written legislation regarding seat belt requirement is not meeting the needs of the American citizens. It is time for the Federal Government to take initiative to create a nationwide seat belt law in order to reduce motor vehicle accident-associated mortality and related costs of