Online Traffic School

Your seat belt is more important than you may realize. NHTSA reports:

“One of the safest choices drivers and passengers can make is to buckle up. Many Americans understand the lifesaving value of the seat belt – the national use rate was at 90.7% in 2019. Seat belt use in passenger vehicles saved an estimated 14,955 lives in 2017. Understand the potentially fatal consequences of not wearing a seat belt and learn what you can do to make sure you and your family are properly buckled up every time."

Seat Belts Save Lives

90.7% Rate of National Seat Belt Use in 2019
Source

In 2017, 47% of unrestrained passenger vehicle occupants died in collisions. NHTSA reports:

“Of the 37,133 people killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2017, 47% were not wearing seat belts. In 2017 alone, seat belts saved an estimated 14,955 lives and could have saved an additional 2,549 people if they had been wearing seat belts.”

Consequences of not wearing or improperly wearing a seat belt:

1. Buckling up helps keep you safe and secure inside your vehicle, whereas not buckling up can result in being totally ejected from the vehicle in a crash, which is almost always deadly.


2. Air bags are not enough to protect you; in fact, the force of an air bag can seriously injure or even kill you if you’re not buckled up.


3. Improperly wearing a seat belt, such as putting the strap below your arm, puts you and your children at risk in a crash.

The benefits of buckling up are equally clear:

1. If you buckle up in the front seat of a passenger car, you can reduce your risk of:

• Fatal injury by 45% (Kahane, 2015)
• Moderate to critical injury by 50%

2. If you buckle up in a light truck, you can reduce your risk of:

• Fatal injury by 60% (Kahane, 2015)
• Moderate to critical injury by 65% (NHTSA, 1984)

Source: NHTSA

Adult Seat Belt Safety

51% of male passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2017 were not wearing a seat belt.

The Top 5 Things You Should Know About Buckling Up

1. Buckling up is the single most effective thing you can do to protect yourself in a crash

Seat belts are the best defense against impaired, aggressive, and distracted drivers. Being buckled up during a crash helps keep you safe and secure inside your vehicle, being completely ejected from a vehicle is almost always deadly.

2. Air bags are designed to work with seat belts, not replace them

If you don’t wear your seat belt, you could be thrown into a rapidly opening frontal air bag. Such force could injure or even kill you. Learn about air bag safety.

3. Guidelines to buckle up safely

• The lap belt and shoulder belt are secured across the pelvis and rib cage, which are better able to withstand crash forces than other parts of your body.
• Place the shoulder belt across the middle of your chest and away from your neck.
• The lap belt rests across your hips, not your stomach.
• NEVER put the shoulder belt behind your back or under an arm.

4. Fit matters

• Before you buy a new car, check to see that its seat belts are a good fit for you.
• Ask your dealer about seat belt adjusters, which can help you get the best fit.
• If you need a roomier belt, contact your vehicle manufacturer to obtain seat belt extenders.
• If you drive an older or classic car with lap belts only, check with your vehicle manufacturer about how to retrofit your car with today’s safer lap/shoulder belts.

5. Seat belt safety for children and pregnant women

Find out when your child is ready to use an adult seat belt and learn about seat belt safety when you’re pregnant.

If you’re pregnant, make sure you know how to position your seat and wear a seat belt to maximize your safety and the safety of your unborn child.

Source: NHTSA

Child Seat Belt Safety

Transitioning Your Child to an Adult Seat Belt

When is your child ready to use an adult seat belt, and how should it be used when that time comes? NHTSA reports:

“The time to transition your child out of a booster seat and into a seat belt usually comes when the child is between 8 and 12 years old. Keep your children in booster seats until they outgrow the size limits of the booster seats or are big enough to fit properly in seat belts.”

How to Properly Put a Child in a Seat Belt

“For your child to properly fit in a seat belt, he or she must be tall enough to sit without slouching and be able to:

• Keep his or her back against the vehicle seat;
• Keep his or her knees naturally bent over the edge of the vehicle seat; and
• Keep his or her feet flat on the floor.

Additionally:

• The lap belt must lie snugly across the upper thighs, not the stomach.
• The shoulder belt should lie snug across the shoulder and chest, and not cross the neck or  face.
• Never let a child put the shoulder belt under an arm or behind the back because it could  cause severe injuries in a crash.
• Keep your child in the back seat because it is safer there.

Remember, always check your child’s belt fit in every vehicle. A booster seat may be needed in some vehicles and not in others. If the seat belt does not fit properly yet, your child should continue to use a booster seat.

Modeling Seat Belt Safety

As a parent, you are your kids’ strongest influence when it comes to modeling safe driving practices, including buckling up every time you get in the car. Teach your family that safety is the responsibility of all passengers as well as the driver.”

Source: NHTSA

Tweens (Ages 8-14)

As your child grows, you may face challenges enforcing seat belt safety. Life as a parent is full of compromises, but seat belt safety is never up for negotiation. Follow these pointers and set the example of buckling up every time you get into the car. And remember: Never give up until they buckle up!

NOTE: All children under 13 ride in the back seat for maximum safety.

You’re the #1 Influence: Make Sure Your Tween is Properly Buckled Up the Whole Ride, Every Time

Seat Belt Safety Starts With Good Role Models

Learning the importance of wearing a seat belt starts with a good role model—and that’s you. As a parent or caregiver, you are the number one influence on your child’s seat belt safety. Research shows that children whose parents buckle up are much more likely to buckle up themselves.

Consistency is Key

Consistently remind your children to buckle up properly the whole ride, and never assume they’re buckled up! Learn tips to motivate your tweens to buckle up, and make it a rule in your family that everyone follows the same practices as you: Always buckle up before moving the car, no matter how short or routine the drive, and make sure all children are buckled up properly.

The Proper Seat Belt Fit for Your Child

The risk of injury among child passengers is significantly higher when their seat belts are loose and/or improperly positioned. Learn about the proper seat belt fit for your child and why your children may not be wearing their seat belts correctly.

Front or Back—When is the Front Seat Safe for My Child?

All children under age 13 should ride in the back seat for maximum safety. The back seat is the safest place for your children because most crashes occur in the front of the car and the back seat is farthest from this impact.

Why Parents and Caregivers Forget About or Forego Seat Belt Safety

We know life as a parent is full of distractions and often hectic, making it easy to forget or forego buckling up altogether. See if any of these excuses for not buckling up sound familiar, then do whatever it takes to buckle up and make sure your kids do the same:

• Rushed and chaotic pre-travel routines
• Distractions

Need to minimize conflict or keep the peace

• Seat belt discomfort or perceived nuisance when in a hurry
• Shorter distances, slower speeds and familiar roads falsely associated with lower risk
• Kids persistently asking to ride in the front seat

Tips to Motivate Your Tweens to Buckle Up

Getting your kids to properly buckle up and stay buckled can be a battle of wills. There are several reasons why children 8 to 14 may forget or not want to wear their seat belts. For as many reasons as your kids can protest against wearing a seat belt, we’ve got tips to help you motivate them to buckle up.

Tweens are going through several developmental stages—social, cognitive and emotional—which offer helpful insights into what makes sense to them and what motivates them. Learn about the developmental stages and motivational messages get your kids to buckle up properly, the whole ride, every time.

It’s Non-Negotiable: Tween Seat Belt Safety

We know you make every effort to keep your kids safe. However, parenting can be a hectic job. The daily routine of getting your kids to and from school and other activities can be hurried and chaotic, creating an environment where insisting on wearing a seat belt is not top of mind. See if you face these five challenges to getting tweens to wear — and stay in — their seat belts.

No Matter How Hurried or Chaotic, Don’t Negotiate!

As a parent, sometimes you let your kids have their way. But their safety should never be up for negotiation, no matter how much they push back on the seat belts being uncomfortable or unnecessary for just a “short drive.” Here are some tips to help you win the seat belt battle:

• Consistently Model Seat Belt Safety. Teaching your children to consistently wear seat belts can take a great deal of resolve. Your first line of defense, as your children’s number one influence, is to wear your seat belt and insist that all family members do the same.


• Never Give Up Until They Buckle Up. Make sure your kids are buckled up with their lap and shoulder belt—no shoulder belts behind their backs or under their arms, or seat belts so loose that they can wrestle in the back seat. Learn how to motivate your kids to buckle up properly and consistently using age-appropriate messages and rewards to reinforce the importance of seat belt safety.


• Never Assume Your Kids Are Buckled Up. One conversation is not enough: Remind your children to wear their seat belts every time they get into a car—no matter whose car it is—and stay buckled up, including at night and on longer rides.

Source: NHTSA

Teenagers

54% OF UNRESTRAINED 13 TO 15-YEAR-OLD PASSENGER VEHICLE OCCUPANTS WERE KILLED IN CRASHES IN 2017

It’s been a long time since your little ones transitioned from a booster seat into an adult seat belt, and now they’re teenagers. Think it’s time to relax? Think again. The majority of teens involved in fatal crashes aren’t wearing their seat belts.

Buckling up is not a one-time conversation—it’s ongoing. Set the example by always wearing your seat belt, and remind your teens buckling up is the law.

Source: NHTSA

Side Mirrors

Side Mirror Settings

Most drivers’ side mirrors overlap with what can be seen in the rearview mirror. In that case, each mirror provides basically the same information.

By adjusting your side view mirrors out a little more than you would usually put them, vehicles that are no longer visible in your rearview mirror will become visible in your side view mirror much sooner. Doing so will help to virtually eliminate your blind spot. To adjust the left side mirror, rest your head against the closed window and set the mirror to barely show the edge of your vehicle. To adjust the right mirror, lean to the right so your head is directly in line with the rearview mirror above the center console. Adjust this mirror the same way so you can barely see the edge of the right side of your vehicle.

Positioning your mirrors this way will enable you to look into what would be your largest blind spot. It also minimizes the amount of time that other vehicles disappear from your sight.

Vehicles that are no longer visible in your rearview mirror will become visible in your side view mirrors much sooner than your side vision allows.

Even if the lane looks open in your side mirrors, it’s still recommended to look over your shoulder before changing lanes. That’s the only way to be certain the space you want to move into is open.

When you complete this section, you should adjust your side mirrors with this information fresh in your mind. The next time you drive, you can test your new settings. When a car starts to pass you on the left, you should be able to see the back of their car in your rearview mirror and simultaneously see the front of their car in your left side mirror. As the vehicle continues to pass, you should see the back of the vehicle in your side mirror and its front in your peripheral vision. The same maneuvers will also work for the right mirror. It may take a short time to get used to the new settings, but knowing your safety has been enhanced will make it worthwhile.

Side Mirrors On Large Vehicles

Delivery trucks have convex (outward curved) mirrors mounted on the edge of the roof at the left rear corner which allow drivers to see the back of the truck. In fact, many trucks have convex mirrors attached to the side mirrors to reduce/eliminate blind spots.

There has been new technology involving mirrors. NHTSA announced in August of 2019 plans to research driving behavior and how drivers execute lane changes with both traditional mirrors and the new camera systems. Backup camera are now federally mandated in all new vehicles.

Some newer cars have blind spot cameras or lights that activate as a car approaches their blind spot. In addition, peel and stick circular convex mirrors can be purchased at a minimal price at almost all auto parts stores. Some drivers report this improves their blind spot detection capabilities.

Now that we are at the end of this section, please adjust those side mirrors before you forget!

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