Do you belt up? Video sneak peek of ‘Making It Click’ seat belt series, which debuts Sunday
Look for our three-day special report, “Making It Click: Lives on the Line,” which begins Sunday, Feb. 24.
Nearly 1,700 unbelted Virginians have died in vehicle wrecks in the past five years.
But 600 — maybe 700 — could have lived.
How?
By committing the simple act of fastening their seat belt — and following the law.
So many of us do belt nowadays — nearly 82 percent in our state, on average. But the message isn’t getting through to everyone, especially in rural Virginia, where in some communities up to three-fourths of traffic fatalities involved unbelted drivers or passengers.
In this Roanoke Times/roanoke.com special report, we explore why the disparities exist. We also retrace failed efforts to strengthen Virginia’s seat belt law and look at new initiatives to educate young drivers.
February 21, 2013 - 11:17 AM
Wasn’t that law passed back in the 70′s? It amazes me, but I have friends who refuse to wear a seatbelt. ‘It’s uncomfortable’ is the standard refrain. Of course, running your face through the windshield is more uncomfortable. I guess that is socialism though, the government forcing us to use common sense against our will.
I learned this lesson in 1984. I was headed from “Wendy’s” on Williamson back to work at what was then the FNEB Operations Center building on Plantation and didn’t think I would need my seatbelt for this short ride…then a driver pulled out from a side road between the cleaners and bank (this occured before the road was widened). Needless to say I couldn’t stop and totalled the new car I had just bought.
ALWAYS buckle up = Lesson learned the hard way. Now it’s a habit. I feel ackward if I don’t.
I had a guy argue with me about seatbelts. He claims he survived a crash BECAUSE he wasn’t buckled up and went on to rant and rail about the government telling him what to do. OK for him to be an idiot, I suppose, but he runs a business employing young and impressionable folks and he preaches that idiocy to them as well, with the predictable result. My wife survived a bad wreck because of her seatbelt and head rest. Her injuries were bad enough to give her problems for life, but soooo much lighter than they would have been unrestrained. Stupid is hard to cure, and we all pay higher insurance premiums because of it, I believe. I like crooked road’s take on Socialism. Unlike Libertarians, I think there are just too many people who will not do the right thing just because they should, and while they may cherish their personal freedom, it comes at a cost to the rest of us that they ignore. Now, if we can just get them to stop texting while driving….