Message to Teens: Buckle Up

As it is, car crashes are already the leading cause of death among Americans ages 15 to 19, but recently compiled data shows that more than half of all teenage drivers killed in auto accidents during 2012 failed to use a seat belt that could have otherwise saved their lives. That’s according to a report on teen seatbelt use conducted by the Governors Highway Safety Association in Washington, D.C., and The Allstate Foundation in Northbrook, Ill. Even worse, the organizations found that teen passengers who were killed in car crashes buckled up nearly 20 percent less frequently than did fatally injured teen drivers. “It is imperative that we find out what works to make teens understand that using a seat belt may save their life and find ways to convince them to buckle up every time they get in the car,” says GHSA executive director Jonathan Adkins.