Koon's Watch

With the holidays coming up, more families will be on the road headed to gatherings and celebrations.

More time on the road means more opportunities for accidents.

Ensure your whole family gets to their destination safely by requiring each member to buckle up. Front seat, back seat, all ages—make sure everyone has a properly fitting seat belt secured for the entire trip.

Did you know that buckling up is the single most effective thing you can do to protect yourself in the event of a crash?

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 89.6% of people use their seat belts while in a moving vehicle.

In 2017, 47% of occupants who were killed in a vehicle crash were unrestrained.

Think about how many lives could be saved by wearing a seat belt.

It’s important for your seat belt to fit properly, especially for children and young adults.

Lap belts must lie snugly across the upper thighs—not stomach. And the shoulder belt should lie snug across the shoulder and chest, not across the face or neck.

Children need to be placed in a properly fitting restraint seat. Keep your child in a booster seat until he or she is big enough to fit in a seat belt the correct way.

Not buckling up is a primary offense, meaning

deputies can stop you for not wearing your safety belt or if your child is not secured in a restraint system.

You can be fined for unbuckled passengers under 17 as well.

When parents ride without seat belts, child seat belt rates drop by 40%.

Wearing a seat belt should be an ongoing conversation. Set the example by always buckling up, and remind your children it’s the law.

Together, we can save more lives.