With a few more weeks of summer remaining to get your vacation and other travel plans taken care of, we have deputies patrolling across Lexington County to make sure everyone is buckling up for every trip.
If you’re going on a dream trip or running a short errand to the store down the street, make sure you complete the simple, essential step of bucking your seat belt.
According to research conducted by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, while 88.5 percent of passenger vehicle occupants buckled up in 2015, almost 50 percent of occupants of fatal crashes nationwide are not restrained.
This stat highlights the need for increased enforcement and awareness of seat belt use.
Many believe that driving in large vehicles, trucks, or SUVs offers greater protection during a vehicle crash. Sadly, this is not the case. According to NHTSA, 61 percent of pickup truck occupants who were killed in crashes were not buckled up. That’s compared to 42 percent of passenger car occupants who were killed while not wearing their seat belts.
We’ll be out in force all summer looking for those on our roads who aren’t buckled up. We’re teaming up with State Troopers for nighttime safety belt checks throughout the county.
Always buckle up and make sure all of your passengers do too. It only takes a few seconds and greatly increases your chances of surviving a serious collision.