Study Shows that 40% of Teenagers Fail to Buckle Up
According to Missouri's "Arrive Alive" program, over 40% of teenagers don't buckle up when they get into a car. Why is that? Certainly it cannot be seen as an 'uncool' thing to do. Authorities are working with teenagers to understand the motivation for young adults to decide not to wear a seat belt. Perhaps this program will help develop a marketing campaign that can connect with teenagers in a way that motivates them otherwise.
1 in 4 Missouri car accident involves a young driver. From 2007 to 2009, over 300 teenagers were killed in car accidents, of which 72% were NOT wearing their seat belts. Of those young adults that were not killed in the accident, most of them sustained serious injuries. Common injuries resulting from failure to use a seat belt include:
traumatic brain injury (TBI), bone fractures, facial lacerations, TMJ of the jaw, and other injuries. Young adults need to understand that seat belts do save lives, and that authorities are cracking down on issuing tickets to those folks not wearing them.
Don't gamble with your life and others around you. You can drastically cut down on your chances of being seriously injured or killed in a Missouri car accident just by buckling up and not using your cell phone when driving.