Every year, the National Organization for Youth Safety (NOYS) hosts Global Youth Traffic Safety Month in May. For 2015, it is in full swing and one of the best ways to bring awareness to this cause is through the sharing of information. The more we know about how dangerous it is to be in a moving car without a seat belt, the better we can all make the conscious decision to click it (or ticket) before we put it in drive.
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We wanted to take the opportunity with this post to share information about statistics related to teen drivers and passengers who died in crashes and weren’t wearing their seat belts. The sad reality is that it happens too often and many of these deaths are preventable. As reported by NHTSA data from 2008-2012, below is information on the number of teens aged 15-19 that were killed in car crashes:
| STATE | NUMBER OF TEEN DEATHS WITHOUT SEAT BELT | ||
| TEEN-DRIVERS | TEEN – FRONT PASSENGER | TEEN – BACK PASSENGER(S) | |
| Alabama | 146 | 67 | 39 |
| Alaska | 6 | 8 | 2 |
| Arizona | 77 | 32 | 31 |
| Arkansas | 79 | 33 | 17 |
| California | 108 | 62 | 112 |
| Colorado | 50 | 18 | 27 |
| Connecticut | 20 | 6 | 2 |
| Delaware | 10 | 1 | 2 |
| Florida | 215 | 115 | 96 |
| Georgia | 127 | 50 | 37 |
| Hawaii | 6 | 6 | 5 |
| Idaho | 41 | 13 | 10 |
| Illinois | 99 | 34 | 41 |
| Indiana | 93 | 40 | 30 |
| Iowa | 40 | 19 | 16 |
| Kansas | 76 | 32 | 17 |
| Kentucky | 91 | 53 | 28 |
| Louisiana | 121 | 46 | 41 |
| Maine | 24 | 8 | 3 |
| Maryland | 39 | 14 | 23 |
| Massachusetts | 37 | 14 | 14 |
| Michigan | 67 | 30 | 33 |
| Minnesota | 35 | 14 | 20 |
| Mississippi | 110 | 58 | 37 |
| Missouri | 167 | 70 | 28 |
| Montana | 37 | 13 | 11 |
| Nebraska | 50 | 15 | 9 |
| Nevada | 16 | 9 | 16 |
| New Hampshire | 25 | 12 | 4 |
| New Jersey | 42 | 27 | 27 |
| New Mexico | 40 | 11 | 20 |
| New York | 41 | 31 | 47 |
| North Carolina | 144 | 57 | 56 |
| North Dakota | 27 | 9 | 5 |
| Ohio | 142 | 58 | 48 |
| Oklahoma | 90 | 60 | 40 |
| Oregon | 12 | 6 | 13 |
| Pennsylvania | 187 | 72 | 66 |
| Rhode Island | 9 | 2 | 6 |
| South Carolina | 124 | 42 | 33 |
| South Dakota | 26 | 13 | 8 |
| Tennessee | 130 | 47 | 30 |
| Texas | 278 | 113 | 136 |
| Utah | 20 | 11 | 17 |
| Vermont | 8 | 6 | 5 |
| Virginia | 97 | 43 | 40 |
| Washington | 36 | 18 | 6 |
| West Virginia | 39 | 20 | 8 |
| Wisconsin | 75 | 35 | 20 |
| Wyoming | 28 | 9 | 10 |
Practicing safe driving habits means avoiding distracted driving, drunk driving, drowsy driving, AND buckling up. Remember, a seat belt only works if it’s in use.
Seat Belts Save Lives Challenge
If your school or organization is participating in the Seat Belts Save Lives challenge this year, we want to hear from you. Let us help you make the biggest impact with your event and spread the word to every corner of the web.
#TrafficSafeYouth
