Warren County Safe Communities Coalition reminds you: Buckle Up--Every Trip. Every Time

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio (Nov. 22, 2016) – Warren County Safe Communities Coalition is joining a national effort to send Thanksgiving travelers an important lifesaving reminder to Buckle Up--Every Trip. Every Time.

Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel times of the year, and more people on the road increases the likelihood of a crash. During the 2014 Thanksgiving weekend alone, 341 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes nationwide, and 50 percent were not their wearing seat belts at the time of the fatal crash. And for those Thanksgiving weekend crashes that occurred at night, the percentage of unbuckled occupants killed jumped to an unsettling 58 percent.

These deaths represent needless tragedies for families all across America. But even more tragic is that many of these fatalities could have been prevented with the simple click of a seat belt. 

“Half of all drivers and passengers killed in crashes on Thanksgiving weekend in 2014 weren’t wearing seat belts at the time of their fatal crash,” said Doyle Burke, Chief Investigator for the Warren County Coroner’s Office. “This statistic is staggering when we know seat belt use is one of the simplest ways to stay safe when you’re in a vehicle.”

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that proper seat belt use reduces the risk of fatal injury to front seat passengers by 45 percent, and the risk of moderate to serious injury by 50 percent. In 2014, approximately 12,802 people survived crashes because they were buckled up. If everyone had worn their seat belts that year, an additional 2,814 lives could have been saved, according to NHTSA. 

Also, NHTSA’s research reveals that males are more likely to be unbuckled than females in a fatal crash, and that younger drivers are also at greater risk of being unbuckled in a fatal crash. 

“Buckling your seat belt should be your first step every time you enter a vehicle,” said Mandy Wells, Warren County Safe Communities Coalition coordinator and Atrium Medical Center trauma outreach coordinator. “Whether you’re riding or driving, traveling just across town or across the country, please make sure you and your loved ones always wear seat belts – this Thanksgiving and every day of the year.”

Warren County Safe Communities Coalition—whose members include Atrium Medical Center, Warren County law enforcement agencies, local government agencies and Ohio State Highway Patrol— focuses on motor vehicle and traffic safety awareness initiatives. The group was recently awarded a $42,000 federal grant to run the program for the seventh consecutive year. Follow Warren County Safe Communities Coalition online. 

Atrium Medical Center is a full-service hospital and Level III Trauma Center located conveniently along the Interstate 75 corridor at exit 32, One Medical Center Drive in Middletown, between Cincinnati and Dayton. The hospital is the city of Middletown’s second largest employer of more than 1,500 people in full-time, part-time and on-call positions. Atrium is operated by the Dayton-based nonprofit Premier Health system.

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