247drive proudly partners with Drive Smart Virginia in the Virginia Coalition for Safe Driving. The message below can be found on Drive Smart Virginia’s website, http://www.drivesmartva.org/current-projects/click-it-or-ticket/, and it is a reminder that we all must wear our seatbelts to save lives.

We partner with the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles Click It or Ticket campaign each May. The Click It or Ticket message reminds everyone to wear their seatbelt or face getting a ticket. Additionally, we provide the social norming campaign “Buckle-Up, Live On.”

A seat belt is your best defense against a reckless, impaired, or distracted driver. Did you know that:

• Most fatal crashes occur at speeds below 40 mph and within 25 miles of your home.
• If you’re in a crash and are thrown from the vehicle you have a 75% chance of being killed. When worn correctly seatbelts reduce the risk of moderate to critical injury by 50%.
• Death rates are more than 8 times higher when the occupant is not buckled or restrained.
• In 60% of fatal crashes the victim isn’t buckled. However, when worn, seatbelts can reduce the risk of fatal injury to front seat passengers by 45%

It’s simple: You’re safer in your car when you’re buckled. Your passengers are safer when they’re buckled. A seatbelt improves your odds of surviving a serious traffic crash.

Set a good example. Adults who don’t buckle up are sending children the message that it is all right to not wear a seat belt. Children model adult behavior. 70 percent of the time that a driver is unbuckled, you can bet that the children riding in that vehicle aren’t buckled either.

Wearing a safety belt is the law here in Virginia. It’s the law for a reason.

Happy driving! Drive Safely!