Every year, the Thanksgiving holiday is one of the busiest travel times. Millions of Americans hit the roads to spend time with family and friends.
Unfortunately, more vehicles on the road means the potential for more crashes. The Click It or Ticket campaign combines increased awareness with aggressive enforcement to reach as many Americans as possible.
The key message of the effort is that wearing a seat belt is the single most effective way to save your life and the lives of your loved ones while on the road this Thanksgiving.
The statistics are really troubling, almost half of the passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes are not wearing their seat belts. And during this busy time on our highways, we see way too many preventable fatalities in crashes.
During the 2013 Thanksgiving holiday period (6 p.m. on Wednesday, November 27, to 5:59 a.m. on Monday, December 2), there were 301 passenger vehicle occupants killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes nationwide. Fifty-eight percent of those killed were NOT wearing seat belts.
These tragic crashes could have turned out differently. NHTSA research indicates 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 2013, seat belts saved the lives of 12,584 passenger vehicle occupants. If seat belt use had been at 100 percent, an additional 2,800 people would still be alive this Thanksgiving.
Lundy Law would like to wish everyone a safe and Happy Thanksgiving. If you or someone that you love are ever involved in an accident this holiday season, we urge you to fill out our contact form to receive exceptional legal assistance. For more information about traveling safely during Thanksgiving, please visit www.nhtsa.gov.